Journeys in photographs and words.

A little of each town’s story

Tadotsu, Kagawa

Maki Hachiman Shrine

From: Drawn by the sea breeze and the cats to Sanagi Island

A stone torii facing the sea, with a figure standing beneath it
A stone torii facing the sea, with a figure standing beneath it

A Hachiman shrine on the shore of Awashima. The approach runs down to the sandy beach, and the torii gate seems to float on the water at high tide; at low tide you can walk right up to it. The enshrined deities are Emperor Chuai and Emperor Ojin, though no reliable record of the shrine's origins survives. Islanders call it "Umaki." One theory traces the name Maki to a horse pasture established on the island in ancient times.

Awashima, Takuma, Mitoyo, Kagawa

Sources: yousakana.jp gltjp.com

This moment in the journey

At the shrine on the way home

At the end of a shaded path, a torii gate stood facing the sea: the seaside Maki Hachiman Shrine. Standing under the gate, I had the Seto Inland Sea in front of me and the hills of the far shore beyond.

I sat down on the sand and ate an ice cream. Snacks eaten at the shrine on the way home. Even now, as an adult, I find it just as much fun.

Watch this scene on YouTube3:40

Read this scene in the full journey

A seaside torii gate at the end of a shaded path
A seaside torii gate at the end of a shaded path
Looking out at the sea from beside the torii pillar
Looking out at the sea from beside the torii pillar
Holding an ice cream on the sandy beach
Holding an ice cream on the sandy beach