Shimane Prefecture has unique shrines that may or may not be accessible depending on the tide. That shrine is “Ebisu Shrine”. At low tide, a sandy approach path appears, offering a beautiful view. This time, we will introduce in detail Ebisu Shrine in Shimane Prefecture, a rare shrine that can only be crossed at low tide.
①【Ebisu Shrine】 Mont Saint Michel in San’in!!
Ebisu Shrine is a shrine located in the Miyagashima area of Obama-cho, Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture. It is also known as the “Little Mont Saint Michel ”.
❶What is the origin of “Ebisu Shrine”?
The origin of the name “Ebisu Shrine” is because the related Miho Shrine was the head shrine of “Ebisu-sama,” the god of fisheries.
❷What is the history of Ebisu Shrine?
The history of Ebisu Shrine is that in 1710, a ritual was held to bring the god from the parent shrine, Miho Shrine, to this place. More than 100 years later, in 1867, it was built at its current location as Ebisu Shrine.
❸Why is it called “Little Mont Saint Michel”?
The reason why Ebisu Shrine is called “Mont Saint Michel of San’in” is because it is similar to Mont Saint Michel in that you can only cross to the shrine at low tide. The original Mont Saint-Michel is a monastery built on an island in Saint-Malo Bay on the west coast of France.
Mont Saint Michel is located in an area with strong tidal conditions. At low tide, it is connected to land, and at high tide, it is isolated in the sea. Ebisu Shrine has come to be called “Little Mont Saint-Michel” because it looks exactly like the place where you can only cross at low tide. By the way, the scale of it is not as big as Mont Saint-Michel.
❹It is necessary to check the time at low tide.
To cross to Ebisu Shrine, it is essential to check the time of low tide. The sea in front of Ebisu Shrine repeatedly rises and falls every hour of the day. High tides and low tides occur twice a day due to the rotation of the Earth and its relationship with the moon. To avoid getting wet in the tide, be sure to check the Masuda City tide table before heading to Ebisu Shrine. The tide recedes at low tide, but even at high tide the sand is at most 50 cm away, so it’s possible to cross in the summer if you don’t mind getting your feet wet.
〇Masuda city tide table
➁【Ezaki Tairyo Bridge】 A beautiful bridge located in a fishing town!! ︎
Ezaki Tairyobashi is a bridge located in Ezaki, Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is located in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, almost near Shimane. Ezaki Tairyo Bridge is an interesting shaped bridge. The characteristic of the bridge is that the center part is high and the ends are flat. If you step away from the bridge and look at it from the side, it looks like only the center is floating. The reason is that the bridge is designed to allow small vessels such as fishing boats to pass under it without colliding with each other. Ezaki Town, where Ezaki Tairyobashi Bridge is located, is a nostalgic fishing town, and the sea is mostly calm with no waves.
▲The port is calm and there are no waves, and if you take a walk you can see the traditional townscape of the port town.
➂【Sidoji Rokkakudo】 A temple that looks like it’s floating on the sea‼︎
Saidoji Rokkakudo is a temple located in Ezaki, Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is also called ″Ukishima Seidoji”. It was founded during the Oei era of the Muromachi period.
❶Sidoji TemplerokkakuThe reason why the hall was built.
Saidoji TemplerokkakuThe reason why the hall was built was to mourn for Bodhi, a daughter who threw herself into Ezaki Bay during the Oei era. The girl’s mother built a temple believing that the Buddha statue caught in a fisherman’s net was the incarnation of her daughter. After that, it became the Genroku era of the Edo period, and the currentrokkakuThe hall has been rebuilt.
❷Why is it called Ukishima Seidoji?
The reason why it is called Ukishima Seidoji is because it looks as if it is floating on the sea, as it stands at the tip of a cape that juts out into the local Ezaki Bay. However, it is actually located in a place like a canal inside a cove. It is located right in front of Ezaki Tairyo Bridge, and you can see the whole view from the top of the bridge.
④Access information to Ebisu Shrine.
Here you will find detailed information about access to Ebisu Shrine.EbisuThe address of the shrine is 630 Obama-cho, Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture.
❶Route from Masuda City Hall to Kinubisu Shrine by car
Masuda City Hall (1-1 Tokiwacho, Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture) ⇒ Prefectural Route 310 ⇒ National Route 191 ⇒Ebisu Shrine
The total travel distance is approximately 12.2 km, and the travel time is approximately 22 minutes.
Summary.
This time, we introduced Ebisu Shrine in Shimane Prefecture, a rare shrine that can only be crossed at low tide. Ebisu Shrine in Shimane Prefecture is a rare shrine that has two faces, one at high tide and one at low tide. At high tide, you can see the beautiful crystal clear sea. Also, at low tide, a white sandy beach approach appears to lead tourists to the shrine. It is a very unique shrine, so it’s worth visiting once. When you visit Shimane Prefecture, why not stop by Ebisu Shrine?
▲Official site
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