Research Trip looking for restaurants serving Japanese Sake (Aizu)

Good evening! Thank you for reading this blog!
This week my work let up a little and I can leave this office early recently, so I had time to write this blog even though it’s weekday.

Last time I wrote about Byakko-Tai, who killed themselves in Iimori Mountain.
This time I’d like to introduce “Sazae-do” which is near the cave. This is the final part of my report of Aizu trip.

In the last article, the story ended when Byakko-Tai arrived at Iimori Mountain after going through the cave in the photo below.

After going to the south from here, you get to the spot of their suicide. I didn’t mention in the last blog, but there is a building called “Sazae-do” near the cave.

If you go the normal route of Iimori Mountain’s sightseeing course, you should see the grave of Byakko-Tai first, and then Sazae-Do, and the cave at last.
This “Sazae-do” is a temple building where a statue of Kannon (the Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism) is placed. What is interesting about this building is that it has spiral stairs, and the way to the upstairs and the way back to downstairs is separated, so the visitors don’t pass other people. There is a Buddhist manner when visiting temples/Buddha called “Unyou Sanzo” which means “Move around in a circle three times in clockwise”, and it’s the highest respectful form. (In a Buddhist scripture Daihatsunehangyo which describes the last days of Buddha, there is an episode that his disciples walked around his dead body three times at the cremation showing their right shoulders to Buddha. Walking around in clockwise three times should be the most respectful manner.) This building enables visitors to walk inside with the highest manner to the Kannon, which is a unique point of this building.
This temple’s official name is “Entsu Sansoudo”, and the common name is “Sazae-do” (“Sazae” is “turban shell”) after its helical structure and appearance which reminds turban shells.

This is taken from the front of the building. Indeed, it’s twisting and can be like a turban shell.

This is the entrance.

Do you see that the route is curving to the left?
By the way, there is a board saying “Emperor Taisho” at the left of the entrance. This board explains that the Emperors Taisho and Showa, and the present Emperor visited this place when they were princes.
The inside is the route of clockwise, and the width is just for 1 person. The highest floor is like this below.

The top of the photo above is the ceiling, and bottom is the stairs. Over the stairs is the down slope to reach the back of entrance. There were people who entered after me, but I didn’t see them in the building at all.
This “Sazae-do” is designated as an important cultural property. Such helical “Sazae-do” were built in Kanto and Tohoku areas in the latter part of Edo period, and this Aizu one was constructed in 1796. In the time of Boshin War in the end of Edo period, portraits of the deceased Byakko-Tai boys were enclosed in this hall. I imagined “Sazae-do” watching young Byakko-Tai’s going from the cave to the mountain.

After “Sazae-do”, I also visited a museum of Byakko-Tai which was on the way to the parking area, then went back to my car at 5 p.m., and left for a Onsen hotel for the night. I went to Fukushima City on the day after for some research on restaurants, and had lunch of famous “Enban Gyoza (half)” at a gyoza restaurant “Gyoza Terui”. After I left Fukushima, I stopped at Utsunomiya for another research and another gyoza at “Utsunomiya Gyozakan”, and finally I went home.

Looking back this trip, my impression was I wanted more time to complete the places I wanted to go even though I went to most of the main sightseeing spots. Every place has its history, and the visitors find interesting things. This is the good thing of traveling. Of course, I felt so in this Aizu trip.
I enjoyed this trip a lot, and I want to visit again when I have spare time and money.