Konpira-ji Temple and Ichijo-an

A lovely nook in one of Toon’s isolated valleys

Anonymous Jan 20, 2013 - 1 min read

The cottage Ichijo-an where Matsune composed haiku

Ichijo-an means "one mat hermitage", but this is not strictly accurate...

The rustic name board above the entrance

The four enormous and ancient cedars at Konpira-ji Temple

Weak winter sun illuminates the snowy mountains around Konpira-ji

This fantastically old Japanese beech is still thriving, with a bit help

Konpira-ji Temple and Ichijō-an is a little complex including a Buddhist temple, Konpira-ji, a Shinto shrine, Sōkōchi jinja, and a cottage, Ichijō-an, where the haiku poet Tōyōjō Matsune lived for a while. I visited on a freezing day in January when the mountains around were white with snow and many of the trees were austerely bare. Nevertheless, it’s an attractive spot.

Anonymous @rod.walters__archived

I was born in Bristol, England, and I came to Japan in 1991 … which means I’ve lived half my life in this island nation on the other side of the world. The theme of my career in Japan has been communication. I started as an English teacher, and moved into translation as I learned Japanese....