Tenkawa Jinja

Tenkawa Jinja (Tenkawa Daibenzaiten Jinja)                      UC

Torii of Tenkawa Jinja
(all photos courtesy of the shrine)

Date founded: Founded by En no Gyoja around 700, according to shrine tradition. Current buildings from 1989.

Address: 107 Tsubonouchi, Tenkawa-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara 638-0321

Tel/Information: 0747-63-0558 A simple history of the shrine is available in English.

How to get there: Kintetsu Line from Osaka to Shimoichiguchi station.  One hour by Nara Kotsu bus to Tenkawa Jinjamae bus stop (only several busses per day).

Enshrined kami: Ichikishimahime no mikoto and Benzaiten (collectively called Tenkawa Benzaiten)

Prayers offered: Both deities enshrined here are associated with water. Benzaiten is also considered a deity of “all things that flow” and as such, she is prayed to by performers, writers and artists.

Best time to go: Tenkawa has its busiest season in summer with climbers and shugendo practitioners.  The Yoshino mountains offer refreshing relief from the sweltering Japanese summer. Also good to visit in April for the cherry blossoms or November for the fall color.

Haiden with unique isuzu bell

Important physical features: Located in the Yoshino mountains south of Kyoto and Nara, Tenkawa Jinja is located along the Ten no kawa River ("river of heaven") in Tenkawa Village, near the pilgrimage route that leads over the Omine mountain range to Hongu Taisha in Kumano. Mt. Misen, near the northern end of the range where a small shrine is located, is considered the inner sanctuary (Okunoin) of Tenkawa Jinja. The Yoshino-Omine mountains and Tenkawa Village are renown for their natural beauty, especially the area around the nearby Mitarai Ravine, featuring massive rock formations, waterfalls and clear streams. Tenkawa Village encompasses valleys and peaks from 440m to as high as 1,915m above sea level.The main shrine is accessed by several stone stairways that rise up between tall cedars and oaks. The honden of the shrine is in the nagare-zukuri style with chigi and katsuogi. It is raised well above ground level and accessed by broad and steep wooden stairs. The haiden is open sided with a tall pitched roof and a stage for Noh and other performances built into the space. Lanterns are hung under the eaves in front of the honden in a sign of one of the many Buddhist influences. In fact the design is a bit reminiscent of Kibitsu Jinja in Okayama where the haiden is a very interesting, semi-interior space.

Tenkawa reitaisai saitōgoma

Important spiritual features: This area has been closely associated with the shugendo religion that  incorporates elements and beliefs from Shinto, Buddhism (mikkyo), Taoism, and onmyodo (yin-yang), and shugenja were instrumental in the amalgamation of Shinto and Buddhist faith called shinbutsu shugyo. The aim of the shugenja is to obtain great powers for use in spiritual and physical healing, and to achieve Kobo Daishi's ideal of becoming "a Buddha in this body" or in other words, an enlightened being. Ascetic practice in the mountains is the method of achieving this goal. For a more detailed explanation of the sect, please see my book Shinto Shrines; A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion. The figure considered the epitome if not the founder of shugendo, En no Gyoja (also called En no Ozunu), meditated and had many revelations in the Omine mountains where practitioners continue to walk in his steps even today. He lived in the seventh century and is mentioned in the Shoku Nihongi as living on Mt. Katsuragi well to the north of Yoshino. He is described as a practitioner of magic and as one who controlled demons and had them do his bidding. It is also reported that he was exiled to Izu under some false charge. Only in later centuries was he connected with shugendo and Mt. Kinpu in the Yoshino area, which had become an important center of ascetic training. It is from this later time that the stories of his meeting with Zao Gongen and the Tenkawa Benzaiten arose. While belief in Benzaiten is imported by way of Buddhism and mentioned in the “Golden Light Sutra”, belief in Ichikishimahime no mikoto is native to Japan. This is one of the female kami of Munakata Taisha in Kyushu, children of Susano-o and Amaterasu Omikami, associated with water and especially the protection of shipping. The three kami are also enshrined at Itsukshima Jinja, founded in 593, on the island of Miyajima in Hiroshima. That island also contains a famous Mt. Misen where Kobo Daishi did ascetic practices. Both Ichikishimahime and Benzaiten have been associated with water and this probably led to the deities being identified with each other. However after the Meiji separation of Shinto and Buddhism, Shrines were forced to disassociate from any Buddhist influence so Benzaiten worship was delegated to Buddhist temples (such as  Daiganji temple on Miyajima) and shrines were forced to substitute Ichikishimahime or some other deity associated with water. The fact that this Shinto shrine continues to worship Benzaiten alongside of Ichikishimahime, perhaps reflects the fact that the integrated religion, which was such a strong feature in the lives of the people of these mountains from the sixth to the nineteenth centuries, retains some vestige of that strength. The shrines rituals also include shugendo rites which were outlawed by the Meiji government.

In one respect, it is difficult to speak about the significance of one shrine or temple in this part of Japan, which is known for pilgrimage to multiple sights. Along with the Kumano Sanzan in the south of the Kii Peninsula, Koyasan to the west, and Ise Jingu to the east, this area is now recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site called the “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.” Strictly speaking, Tenkawa is not included in this group. Instead, Ominesan-ji, a shugendo temple also located in Tenkawa Village on top of Mt. Omine, said to be founded by En no Gyoja and enshrining Zao Gongen, is included. In recent times, Tenkawa Jinja has been a focus of the New Age Movement, as well as musicians and performers from around the world interested in the energy perceived to be emanating from sacred sites such as this.

Description: Tenkawa Jinja (also known as Tenkawa Dai Benzaiten Jinja) is located below Mt Misen with its Okunomiya on top of the mountain. Tenkawa Village is the entrance to Omine range, parts of which are off limits to women. Some distance to the east of this range lies Ise Jingu—the spiritual home of Shinto—and to the west lies Mt. Koya, home of the Shingon sect—one of the principle sects of Japanese Buddhism. Tenkawa lies in the Yoshino-Kumano National Park at the beginning of the Okugakemichi pilgrimage route that all members of the shugendo sect (also called yamabushi) are required to walk as part of their ascetic practice. The route begins in Gojo City in Nara and continues to Shingu City in Wakayama. These men continue to walk the mountains in search of enlightenment and mystical power, as did their famous founder En no Gyoja. Tenkawa (“river of heaven”) worship is deeply rooted in the waters flowing from Mt. Misen, which is associated in Buddhist cosmology with Mt. Sumeru. From this heavenly mountain, water flows in the four directions, sustaining life on the earth below. So too these early mountains have attracted ascetics with the promise of rebirth and enlightenment. In present times, Itsukushima, Chikubushima, and Enoshima are considered the "big three" sites for the worship of Benzaiten, but Tenkawa was long considered to be included in this group. But it does not take a search for enlightenment to enjoy the environment along the Ten no kawa River. A dramatically long and narrow suspension bridge crosses the river, offering spectacular views. Or walk along the beautiful Mitarai valley with its abundant summer greenery, autumn leaves, and lush waterfalls. The current shrine buildings were rebuilt in 1989 and opened with a concert by New Age musician Osamu Kitajima and others. Brian Eno and Haruomi Hosono (of Yellow Magic Orchestra fame) have also given concerts here. Tenkawa has a long association with Noh and plays are performed on a stage near the front of the inner shrine. A popular movie “Tenkawa Densetsu Satsujin Jiken” (The Tenkawa Tradition Murder) from 1991, revolves around the killing of several members of a family of Noh actors, in a struggle over who will succeed as the new head of the tradition. This movie by well-known director Kon Ichikawa, is based on one book of a series of mystery novels featuring detective Asami Mitsuhiko, by author Yasuo Ichida. In this story the Isuzu of Tenkawa is found next to the body of one of the victims.

Festivals: Reitaisai, 16 to 17 July. This festival is famous for its Noh performances and for its Shugendo ceremonies.

Shrines of the Oki Islands                                               UC

Oki Islands
(illustration from Google Maps)

Oki is the overall name for an archipelago consisting of 184 mostly uninhabited islands of various sizes within, the Daisen-Oki National Park, in the Japan Sea. In the creation of the land tale in the Kojiki and Nihon shoki, Izanami and Izanagi create the “8-islands of Japan” (oyashima kuni), of which the third island is called Oki. The Oki group of islands, consists of two main groups; the Douzen—made up of Nishinoshima, Nakanoshima, and Chiburi Islands, and the Dogo group. Farming, fishing and forestry are the main occupations of the roughly 31,000 inhabitants of these bucolic islands. The Oki Islands have a very old but somewhat dubious position in Japanese history. Located about 45 miles off the coast of Shimane prefecture, they served as a sort of Japanese Corsica from the 8th to 18th centuries. Tens of thousands were exiled there including such luminaries as ex-emperors Go-Toba (1221) and Go-Daigo (1332). Emperor Go-Toba’s burial mound is located on the island of Nakanoshima. But these islands were also an important stop on the trade route between Japan and the mainland of Asia. Archaeological evidence dates human existence on the island back to the middle Jomon period (about 3000B.C.). Between the three Douzen Islands and their larger neighbor Dogo Island, there are said to be over 160 shrines of which Yurahime Jinja, Takuhi Jinja, Hiyoshi Jinja and Mita Hachimangu on Nishinoshima, Miho Jinja, Oki Jinja, and Uzuka no mikoto Jinja on Nakanoshima, Himemiya Jinja, and Amasashihiko no mikoto Jinja (Ikku Jinja) on Chiburijima, and Mizuwakasu Jinja, Tamawakasu no mikoto Jinja, Ongyaku Jinja, and Ise no mikoto Jinja on Dogo are some of the most prominent. There are also any number of Buddhist temples (though most were destroyed in the Meiji period), and a plethora of interesting and ancient festivals and rituals. The scenic beauty of the islands is renowned with mountains, beaches and interesting rock formations such as the 600-foot cliffs along the Kuniga coast. One formation, called Candle Islet on Dogo, is a rock standing straight out of the sea. It is so named because with the setting sun aligned just above the top of the rock, it gives the impression of a burning candle. Following is a brief description of some of the many shrines in these islands. For more information, see http://www.oki-geopark.jp/en/about/

Yurahime Jinja

Honden of Yurahime Jinja
(Photo by Chief Hira via Wikipedia)

Date founded: Founded in 842AD according to shrine tradition. Current building dates from 1889.

Address: 922 Urago, Nishinoshima-cho, Oki-gun, Shimane 684-0211

Tel/Information: 0851-46-0950 Ama Tourist Information Center: 0851-42-0101. Shimane Tourism Office 852-22-5292 (English). The Oki Sightseeing Foundation has cell phones programmed with information about sites on the islands. The Foundation can be contacted at 0851-22-0787

How to get there: Both high-speed boat (about 5,000 yen) and regular ferry service (about 2,500 yen) are available from the mainland. Schedule varies according to season and prices depend on point of departure and arrival. Departing at Urago port on Nishinoshima, it’s a 5-minute walk to the shrine. It's also 30 minutes by plane from Izumo Airport to Oki Airport on Dogo Island and a little more than one hour from the airport by boat to Nishinoshima (or any of the other islands).

Enshrined kami: Suserihime no mikoto also called Yurahime no mikoto

Prayers offered: Pray for a rich catch, protection on the seas and a good marriage.

Best time to go: For the Grand festival in July or any of the many other interesting festivals that take place on the island chain. Winters are severe and transportation may be interrupted.

Important physical features: The torii of Yurahime stands in a small inlet in front of the shrine. This inlet is known for a phenomenon whereby large groups of squid gather here every year between December and the New Year. The squid used to be so numerous that they could be scooped up in baskets. This "squid pick up" (ikayose) is unique to the Yurahime district and continues to this day although the number of squid gathering has declined. The shrine itself is some distance from the shore with the sando leading through a plain wooden shinmon gate with a wide center bay and very narrow outer bays surrounded by a veranda. Beyond that is a 5x4-bay haiden with an irimoya zukuri style roof and a stair canopy with a karahafu. The haiden was rebuilt in 1934. Behind that, the interesting honden from 1889 sports an eclectic mix of styles. The 2x2-bay structure has a gable roof with chigi and katsuogi that faces perpendicular to the haiden, with the entrance on the gable side. This front side incorporates a pent roof with a roof canopy containing a karahafu extending from it. It is raised quite a bit higher than the haiden and the surrounding veranda is supported on bracket sets like a Toshogu shrine. The very large roof is also supported by a double row of bracket sets with zenshuyo style tail rafters extending not only from the corner bracket sets, but from the middle sets as well. It seems to be a curious cross between Kasuga and Taisha styles with pretensions to a grand style that matches its ancient status as a Myojin Taisha. It is also said to be a cross with a Hiyoshi-zukuri style but it is a little difficult to see the similarity. For more details on shrine building styles please see "Shinto Shrines: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion."

Important spiritual features: Suserihime is the daughter of Susano-o and the wife of Okuninushi no mikoto. When Okuninushi took refuge in the land of Ne no kuni (the underworld) to escape his murderous brothers, he came upon Susano-o and his daughter, and soon fell in love with her. Susano-o was against the idea and tried several ways to kill the intruder but to no avail—thanks in part to a magic scarf he had received from his wife-to-be. Finally, gaining the trust of Susano-o, Okuninushi and Suserihime ran off together to Izumo, where Okuninushi became ruler of the land. Yurahime Jinja is listed in the Engishiki as a Taisha or “Great Shrine” along with three other shrines on the islands. A legend has it that Suserihime no mikoto appeared crossing the waters and led the squid ashore. In the haiden there’s a statue representing this event. The abundance of squid in these islands in days past was therefore seen as a blessing of the kami. 

Festivals: Yurahime Shrine Grand Festival (otabisai), the last weekend in July every other year in odd number years. The 2-day festival features a ritual sumo tournament, carrying of the mikoshi portable shrine and a fireworks display. It is the largest of all the island's festivals. In the evening the mikoshi is brought out and carried through the streets by the men of the town. Finally, it is put on one of three huge fishing boats tied together for the event. Spectators can ride on the boats along with the mikoshi and enjoy kagura and a fireworks display while cruising around the bay.

Mizuwakasu Jinja

Hiden and honden of Mizuwakasu Jinja
(photo by Bakkai via Wikipedia)

Date founded: According to shrine tradition, founded either in the time of Emperor Suijin (97-30BC) or Emperor Nintoku (313-99AD). Present building dates from 1795.

Address: 723 Oaza-kori, Goka-mura, Oki-gun, Shimane 685-0311.

Tel/Information: 085-125-2133

Enshrined kami: Mizukawakasu no mikoto

Best time to go: After Golden Week in May when the Rhododendron (shakunage) is blossoming.  In summer, the sea is quiet and the boat ride form the mainland is more pleasant. Winters are severe and transportation may be interrupted.

Important physical features: Located on Dogo, this is one of the most important shrines in Oki, with giant pine trees towering over the approach. The haiden is a modest 3x3-bay structure with square latticework doors all around. The tall, thatched roof honden with chigi and katsuogi and a pent roof on the gable side, is in a style called Oki-zukuri and is designated an Important Cultural Property. The gables of both honden and haiden face to the front. The shrine’s treasure house displays a large screen and ancient materials related to the island’s history. 

Important spiritual features: The kami enshrined here is thought to be a sea deity, and folklore has it that giant white snakes guard the shrine. At this jinja there is a ritualized change of the tatami mats on November 6th. This is linked to the belief that all the kami of Japan, travel to Izumo Taisha in this month, and that they are therefore absent from every shrine in the country (kannazuki, "the month of no kami"). The tradition on Oki is to send the local deities off with a festival to wish for their safe return. Stripping out the old tatami is part of this. There is a ritual replacement of new tatami to welcome them back on December 6th.

Other shrines of note on the islands:

Tamawakasu Mikoto Jinja on Dogo Island was once the main shrine in the islands. It sits in a great grove of trees, close by the ocean side, and features a 2000 year-old cedar tree. The honden is also designated an Important Cultural Property.

Takuhi Jinja on Nishinoshima was founded during the Heian period (794-1185) and is located 1,500 feet above sea level. It is interesting for its honden that is built into a cave. The shrine was a temple called Takuhizan Unjuji where the kami Takuhi Gongen was worshipped. It was said that this deity rescued the exiled Emperor Go-Toba from a shipwreck. Because of its location high on the slope of Mt. Takuhi, it was also used as a lighthouse.

Oki Jinja on Ama enshrines Emperor Go-Toba who lived in exile in Ama for 19 years before his death. It is a very large shrine in a modern version of Oki zukuri, built in 1939.

Festivals: Gorei Furyu, 5 June. This festival, held at Tamawakasu Jinja, is the biggest festival of the Oki Islands. The focus of the festival is the yabusame horseback archery.

Mizuwakasu Jinja Festival, every even-numbered year on 3 May. The festival features Yabusame horseback archery, decorated floats and shishimai lion dances. Also at Mizuwakasu Jinja, every November 3rd and 4th, the Oki Classical Sumo Tournament. Sumo has been a long-standing tradition in Oki, and even today sumo is actively discussed and practiced by people of all ages.

Kumi Kagura is performed at Ichinomori Jinja on Dogo Island on the 25 July in odd-numbered years and on the 26th in even-numbered years. An Intangible Cultural Property, dances are held from 9pm until dawn.

Every odd numbered year on 15 September at Mita Hachimangu, a kami no sumo (sumo tournament for the gods), a lion dance and dengaku (traditional dance) are held. This dance is classified an Important Intangible Cultural Asset.

Every even numbered year in October, an 800-year-old event called Niwa no Mai (garden dance), again involving sumo and dengaku is held at Hiyoshi Jinja.

The biggest festival on Dogo is the Oki Kokubunji Renge-e Mai Festival on April 21st. One of the oldest performances of its kind in Japan, this display of folk bungaku from the Heian period is especially known for its expressive masks and is designated a National Intangible Folk Property.

Taga Taisha                                                                      UC

Taga Taisha
(photos courtesy of the shrine)

Date founded: Unknown but mentioned in the Kojiki written in the seventh century.

Address: 604 Taga Taga-cho, Inugami-gun, Shiga 522-0341

Tel/Information: 0749-48-1101

How to get there: Take the Omi Tetsudo Line to Takamiya Station and change trains for Taga-taisha mae Station. Then 10 minutes by foot.  Or take the Biwako Line to JR Minami Hikone Station, then 10 minutes by bus. 

Enshrined kami:  Izanagi no okami and Izanami no okami.

Prayers offered: Pray for a good marriage, for protection of one's wife, protection from harm (yakuyoke), recovery from illness, and long life.

Best time to go: In late March or early April to view a particularly beautiful weeping cherry tree.

Important physical features: Hideyoshi Toyotomi prayed for the health of his wife here and donated new shrine buildings and a garden around 1588 as an offering for her recovery from illness. The long, straight sando leads to a romon gate connected to a kairo that surrounds the inner shrine. This is followed by a haiden and a shimei-zukuri style honden with chigi and katsuogi. All the roofs are surfaced in Japanese cedar. The garden is located next to the study (shoin) attached to the shrine offices. It includes a stone bridge and a sanzon seki (a Buddhist-influenced, three-stone arrangement often found in Japanese gardens). Though the shrine was either burned down or destroyed by storms several times between 1615 and 1791, it was always rebuilt in grand style by the Tokugawa shogunate or the Hikone clan. The current rebuilding was completed in 2005. Though the grounds are small, they are covered in trees and located about twelve kilometers from Lake Biwa. 

Important spiritual features: The male kami Izanagi and the female Izanami are the mother and father of all the gods after the first six generations. They were charged by these original deities with the creation of earth (Japan) and the creation of all the other deities. After the creation of the fire deity, Izanami died and went to "the land of the dead" (yomi). The aggrieved Izanagi went after her and tried to bring her back. After returning from yomi, Izanagi bathed to rid himself of the pollution of death, and from these ablutions other kami were born—including Amaterasu Omikami. When he was done, the Kojiki says that Izanagi “hid himself away in Taga of Omi.” Omi is the old name for Shiga and “hid away” is a euphemism for died. However the Nihon shoki mentions Awajishima as the place where he went to dwell and therefore both places have a claim to this heritage. In either case it infers the establishment of holy ground from as early as "the age of the gods." The existence of the shrine is first confirmed in the engishiki written in the tenth century. Taga Taisha, is the origin of over two-hundred Taga shrines throughout the country. Taga branch shrines developed due to the popularity of confraternities (ko) and the guides (oshi) who escorted visitors to shrines and temples.  

            Taga Taisha also has a long history of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism and had a jinguji (a temple on shrine grounds) from the eighth century. The monks who worshipped here were called shaso or shimbun dosha—monks specifically appointed to say prayers for the enlightenment of the kami, which were collectively known as Taga Daimyojin. At these temples, sutras were chanted in front of the kami with the goal of releasing them from their unenlightened condition. Taga Taisha still has a temple on its grounds and has been at the forefront of a new rapprochement between Buddhism and Shinto.

Description: Taga taisha is situated close to the eastern side of Lake Biwa, on the old Tosando Highway between Kyoto and Nagoya. This is one reason it was visited by nobility from ancient times. Approaching the entrance to the shrine grounds, an arched bridge crosses a small moat just inside the first torii. Like so many other arched bridges throughout the country it is no longer used, but it creates a picturesque sight especially in the snow. Passing round it to the left or right, you enter through the roumon into the shrine grounds proper. You will notice the chrysanthemum motif of the Imperial Household on the lanterns and noren hung over the entrance. This shows that Taga Taisha was designated a kanpeitaisha (imperial shrine) which means it considered an ancestral shrine of the emperor and is one of ninety-seven shrines that received offerings from the emperor in the Meiji era. Only kanpeisha and kokuheisha (national shrines) were allowed to display the chrysanthemum motif.

            The grounds are rather large at about fifteen acres. The sando leads past the teimizuya and directly to the kagura stage in front of the haiden. After paying your respects to the kami, you can continue to walk around the grounds to the left of the haiden. The grounds are abundant with tall conifers, giving the impression of a forest clearing. In the spirit of shinbutsu shugo, the grounds contain both a Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine.

            In pre-modern times, the shrine was strongly linked to other major shrines, such as Ise Jingu, through its association with Izanagi as the father of Ameterasu Omikami and Susano-o. Especially during  time when patronage of the emperor and other elite families was lost due to civil war. Buddhist organization and oshi guides became essential to the financial wellbeing of shrines. The words of one folk song went, “If you visit Ise, then why not Taga? Ise is a child of Taga.”  Another popular expression said, “Go at least three times to Kumano [Susano-o] and at least seven to Ise but visit Taga once a month.”

Taga Festival

Festivals: Korei Taisai, 22 April. (Also called the Taga Festival, Uma [horse] Festival, and the Batoshin Festival) This is the shrines oldest festival, originating sometime in the Kamakura period. It includes a procession of about 500 figures dressed in period costume, representing the procession of a feudal lord. Traditionally a koreisai was a festival to commemorate the imperial ancestors on the day of the spring equinox. A taisai was a special rite lasting a full month and presided over by the Emperor. Events leading to this festival begin on 12 April and include a sort of play/ritual with two members of the community, called the batoin (a peasant) and the otsukai-den (a samurai), who make offerings to the kami. 

Otaue (rice-planting) Festival, 1 June. Fifty-five rice-planting girls (saotome) in traditional garb, perform a ceremony accompanied by music and dance.

Taga Taisha Lantern Festival (Mantosai), 3 to 5 August. Probably the most visually exciting festival held here, 10,000 lanterns are lit on the shrine grounds along with drum performances and a dragon dance, as well as more popular entertainers.

Ube Jinja                                                                                                              UC

Gate and haiden of Ube Jinja
(photos courtesy of the shrine)

Date founded: Founded in 648 according to shrine tradition. The present main shrine building dates from 1898.

Address: 651 Miyashita, Kokufu-cho, Tottori-shi, Tottori-ken 680-0151.

Tel/Information: 0857-22-5025 English omikuji fortunes are available.

How to get there: Take the JR Chizu Kyuko Line from JR Shin-Osaka Station to JR Tottori station.  Then by taxi or by the Nakagawara Line Bus to Miyanoshita Jinja-mae bus stop.

Enshrined kami: Takenouchi no Sukune no mikoto.

What to pray for: Longevity, protection of children, prosperity, and success.

Best time to go: 21 April for the Miyuki Matsuri, early November for the autumn color.

Important physical features: The honden of Ube Jinja is a modest two-bay nagare-zukuri structure of unpainted wood, with gold-colored metalwork, chigi and katsuogi and a cedar-bark roof. The haiden is an irimoya-zukuri structure set perpendicular to the honden with the entrance on the gable side and latticed doors on all sides. An equally modest, 4-legged gate with a curved roof acts as an entrance, set close to the haiden at the top of some stone steps. The twin rocks called souri seki, where Takenouchi no Sukune is said to have left his sandals and ascended to become a kami, are located on the grounds behind the honden.

Important spiritual features: The deity enshrined at Ube Jinja, Takenouchi no Sukune, is a legendary figure said to have lived for 280 years, and served every Emperor from Keiko (r. 71-130AD) to Nintoku (r. 313-99). Because of this, he is famous as a kami of longevity. He accomplished this feat by drinking from a well (shipo sui) that helped prolong his life. This miracle water is said to be the same as that which flows into the current hand-washing basin on the shrine grounds, and visitors are invited to drink their full. Takenouchi is most famed as the saniwa (spirit medium) for Jingu Kogo when she received a takusen (oracle) from the Suminoe deities that commanded Emperor Chuai to take charge of Korea. Chuai refused this oracle from the mouth of his wife Jingu, and was struck dead. Jingu, we are told by the Kojiki, went on to conquer Korea with the help of the faithful general Takenouchi who is also thought of as the first prime minister of sorts. Takenouchi was also a mentor to the son of Jingu, the young Emperor Ojin, and thus also gained a reputation as a protector of children and a connection to the “Boys Day” celebration on the fifth day of the fifth month. The story is told that when Jingu returned from Korea, she faced a rebellion from two of Emperor Chuai's children by another consort. She used a ruse of claiming the young Ojin had died and launching a funeral ship in which her troops hid. This gave Jingu's forces a chance to attack and quash the rebellion. In the meantime, Takenouchi  had spirited Ojin away to the Kii peninsula (present day Wakayama Prefecture). One generation later, the son of Ojin, Emperor Nintoku, took a granddaughter of Takenouchi as his wife, and she became Princess Iwa, the mother of three emperors (Richu, Hanzei and Ingyo).

Kirinjishi

Description: Ube Jinja is listed as one of the 353 taisha (Grand Shrines) in the Engishiki's list of 2,861 shrines, and is most important shrine in the Iwami district of Tottori prefecture. The enshrined deity is the legendary general to the equally legendary Jingu Kogo who, as the story goes, conquered Korea around 211AD. Takenouchi is one of the most often depicted figures of Japanese mythology and is the subject of many ukiyo-e. Depictions usually show him in Chinese-style robes with a long beard. He has appeared on numerous Japanese bank notes from 1 to 5 yen (from before the turn of the century). For this reason he also came to be regarded as a kami of prosperity. He is also regarded as the ancestral kami of twenty-eight clans including the ancient and powerful Soga, Ki, and Katsuragi clans, as well as a relative of Jingu Kogo. 

As an interesting if unrelated aside, one of the most well known Japanese composers of the twentieth century, Akira Ifukube, who is especially known as the composer of the soundtrack for “Godzilla”, was a scion of the Ifukube (Ihokibe). This was a powerful clan of the Inaba region (present day Tottori) who were also priests of Ube Jinja.

Festivals: Miyuki Matsuri, 20 to 21 April. This festival includes the Kirinjishi (“Kirin dance of Inaba”), a performance particular to the Tottori area begun in the Edo period. The Kirin is a mythical creature like a dragon but said to be based on the imagined image of a giraffe. This dance is similar to a lion dance but the movements are slower.

Mitokusan Sanbutsuji

Address: 1010 Mitoku, Misasa-cho, Touhaku-gun, Tottori 682-0132

Tel/Information: 085-843-2666

How to get there: Bus service is available from JR Kurayoshi Station on the Sannin Main Line to Mitokusanji-mae bus stop. Busses run almost hourly (except Saturday, Sunday and 8 thru 15 August. Admission to the mountain is 600 yen for adults, 300 yen for children. Appropriate footwear for climbing is required.

Nagerido od Mitokusan Sanbutsuji
(photo from the website
http://www.mitokusan.jp)

If you travel to Ube Jinja, I would also recommend a visit to another spiritual landmark of Tottori, Mitokusan Sanbutsuji temple. Though not Shinto and not very close to Ube, it is a complex of temples and hermitages on Mt Mitoku that is on the candidates list to become a World Heritage site. A steep and rocky mountain trail takes you up the side of the 3,000-foot mountain. The farther into the complex, the more the temples are built on increasingly precarious slopes, until they are against the shear rock-face of the mountain. The highest one is named Nageiredo, a small kakezukuri building from the Heian period that is designated a National Treasure. According to temple lore, En no Gyoja founded the temple in 706 by throwing three lotus petals in the air and vowing to build temples where they fell. Mt. Mitoku was one such place. The story goes that he threw the temple up from below, hence the name nageire which means, “to throw in.” This is a good example of mountain asceticism and the whole-hearted devotion of the ancients. It is a mystery as to how these perches were built on the shear rock and managed to endure the harsh winters on the Japan Sea coast. In celebration of the 1300-year  (in 2006) anniversary, the sight has undergone extensive repairs. The three Buddha images, from which the temple takes the name san (three) butsu (Buddha) ji (temple), were donated by Ennin (794-864), the fourth leader of the Tendai sect. The Tendai sect played a major role in the amalgamation of Shinto and Buddhism (shin-butsu shugo). These and a number of other wooden and ceramic statues, especially of Zao Gongen the frightening shugendo god who was revealed to En no Gyoja on Mt. Kinpu, are on display. Zao is said to be a Shinto avatar (gongen) of a combination of the Buddha’s of the past, present, and future.

Yoshino Mikumari Jinja                                                       UC                                                                       

The three honden of Yoshino Mikumari Jinja
(photos courtesy of
Nakamura Satoshi www.yamato-gokoro.com)

 Date founded: Founded in the reign of Emperor Sujin (r. 97–30 b.c.), according to shrine tradition. The current buildings are from 1604. 

Address: 1612 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara 639-3115

Tel/Information: 0746-32-3012 

How to get there: Take the Kintetsu Yoshino Line from Yoshino-guchi Station to Yoshino Station. Then take the Yoshino ropeway (¥600 round trip) to Yoshinoyama Station. From there it’s about 70 minutes on foot.

Enshrined kami: Ame no mikumari no kami, Hayaakitsu hiko no mikoto, and Kuni no mikumari no kami. 

Prayers offered: Anything related to water, abundant crops, and the health of children.

Best times to go: For the cherry blossom season from early to late-April, or for the autumn color in November.

While you're here, any readers who are interested in having a kamidana of their own, or would like to send one to a friend or family member, please check out this post: https://shintoshrinesofjapanblogguide.blogspot.com/2019/06/portable-kamidana-jinja.html

The torii and romon

Important physical features: Yoshino Mikumari Jinja is part of the World Heritage Site called “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range” (for more on this, see “Kumano Sanzan” in "Shinto Shrines: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion").

            The present form of Yoshino Mikumari Jinja is due to rebuilding at the behest of Toyotomi Hideyori in 1604 (the order would actually have been given by someone else in his name, since Hideyori was only eleven at the time). Like emperors and shogun before and after this time, the Toyotomi worked to ensure their position both through force of arms and the moral force lent by support of shrines and temples (though the latter also entailed the political support of religious sects and their associated clans). Toyotomi Hideyoshi was very active in rebuilding shrines and temples during his lifetime, as well as creating some new ones—including a Great Buddha Hall and a statue both of which were reputed to be larger than the great Buddha of Nara and Todaiji temple. After his death, his wife, Yododono, carried on this legacy in his name and in that of his son. The three honden of this shrine are designated Important Cultural Properties and are a splendid example of Momoyama-period architecture. The shrine is also somewhat unusual in that it combines three separate kasuga-zukuri-style honden under one elongated roof. The entire structure is nine bays wide by two bays deep. It has a nagare-zukuri roof covered in Japanese cypress bark. Though said to be ikkensha-zukuri associated with the kasuga style, it is a little difficult to see the similarities. Whereas kasuga-style honden have the gabled end facing to the front, Yoshino Mikumari’s long roof has the non-gabled side forward. Instead, three chidorihafu false dormers stand to the front, giving the impression of a front-facing gable, but without the pent roofs typical of kasuga-zukuri. There are also no chigi or katsuogi, as one would expect to find on a kasuga-style structure.

            It is interesting to compare this group of honden with that of Uda Mikumari Jinja. Here, as in Uda, the bracketing is more complex than the typical kasuga-zukuri style, as is the decoration. However, unlike Uda, Yoshino has not been repainted in quite a long time, and it is difficult to see the detail in the darkened wood. The honden are raised about three feet above the ground and stand behind a latticed tamagaki fence. The shrine’s other structures include a haiden, heiden, romon, and kairo constructed at the same time as the honden, and all designated Important Cultural Properties.

            Unfortunately, some of the most noteworthy treasures at this shrine are not available for viewing. The shrine is said to house twenty sculptures of the deities, which have never been displayed. These rare Shinto sculptures, called shinzo, are thought to be the work of a minor member of the Kei school of sculptors. The school is best known for the work of two of its finest practitioners, Unkei and his father Kokei, who were active from the late twelfth to the early thirteenth century and are renowned for works such as Unkei’s nio guardian figures at the nandaimon gate of Todaiji in Nara. The only sculpture from Yoshino Mikumari that has been studied is a thirty-three-inch seated female figure with polychromed surface, identified as Tamayorihime, made in 1251 and designated a National Treasure. She has a plump, doll-like face, glass eyes, and wears Heian-style “twelve-layer” robes (juni-hitoe). On her parted red lips is a faint smile. Interestingly, this Tamayorihime is associated with childrearing and therefore with the Mikomori misreading of the deity’s name detailed below. Of the other sculptures it is known that there are male, female, and child figures and that some date from 1224. Amongst the treasures that are on display is a small sculpture of the poet Saigyo, who lived in a hut that still exists not far from the shrine, in the oku-senbon area of cherry trees. The lifelike sculpture from 1785 was probably placed here in the Meiji period and is not one of the twenty shinzo sculptures. Also on view are two very old mikoshi.

Important spiritual features: The shrine is one of the four Yamato Yonsho Mikumari mentioned in the Engi shiki, written in 927 and promulgated in 967, as important places where the Mikumari deity was enshrined. By that time the Yoshino and Omine ranges were the home of a combinatory practice that closely identified the various Buddha with different native kami.  The Mikomori deity was identified as one of the “eight gongen of Yoshino.”  The great Shinto scholar Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) took an interest in the deity, perhaps because his father had prayed fervently to it for a child, after which, he was born. Therefore he felt a special connection to the deity and determined to understand its source.  So he began to research the connection between Mikumari and Mikomori no kami, also called Komori Daimyojin. In his day, the Mikumari deity had come to be worshipped as a child-protecting kami (which is the meaning of the word “mikomori”), due to a mistaken pronunciation that had happened sometime during the late Heian period. Mikomori was often depicted as a court lady with children, and the distortion of the original deity together with its appropriation by Buddhism made Norinaga upset. Mistaken or not, the Mikumari deity is still regarded as a protector of children to this day.  And after all, the deity has proved its worth in this respect by answering a father’s prayer and delivering Norinaga himself.

Description: This is probably the most celebrated of the four ancient Mikumari shrines. The layout is rather unusual. Passing under a torii and climbing a flight of stone steps brings you to the red and white romon that is the entrance to the grounds. Where one would normally expect to see a haiden with the view of the honden obscured behind it, here the honden are to the right and facing left, while to the left of the entrance and facing right is the haiden. The heiden is in the rear, facing the entrance. There is a small rectangular garden in the space between these structures, with a great weeping cherry tree near the heiden. It is recorded that Emperor Monmu (r. 697–707) offered a horse to the kami of Mount Yoshino in 698, asking the deity for rain. The mountain’s water kami is not actually a kami of rain; nevertheless black horses were offered to it in times of drought (a common custom at that time), and white horses were offered to pray for the cessation of rain. Horses offered in this way were sometimes given as a gift or paraded and left at the shrine for a short time. Mount Mikumari is also mentioned in the Manyoshu anthology of poetry from the mid-eighth century. Water kami were often associated with mountains, from which water travels to irrigate the valleys and plains below, and were among the most ancient and important in the lives of the people.

            Yoshino was not only a place of prayer and meditation. The area became the capital of the so-called Southern Court during the Nanbokucho period (1336–92). Emperor Go-Daigo (1288–1339) tried to overthrow the Kamakura bakufu, but was thwarted and exiled to the Oki Islands. He managed to escape and raise an army to recapture Kyoto. However, he was again forced to flee after which he set up government in Yoshino. When he "retired", his son Go-Murakami continued the struggle, but to no avail. By the time Go-Murakami died in 1368, the Southern Court had been further weakened, and his successor, Emperor Chokei, moved his base of his activities to Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka (where he was enthroned). After his abdication in 1383, Chokei returned to Yoshino, where he died and was buried in 1394. It was not until the Taisho era (1912-26) that his reign and those of other Southern Court emperors was reconfigured as the legitimate line.

            These days, Yoshino is perhaps best known for the cherry trees that bear its name (Prunus yedoensis, the Yoshino cherry). Although this variety was developed elsewhere, the mountains and valleys of Yoshino are covered with about two hundred varieties of cherry and some thirty thousand trees, with intense clusters known as the senbon (“thousand trees”). There are four separate clusters called the oku-, kami-, naka-, and shimo-senbon (the later being at the lowest altitude). Walking tours and bus tours are available, but expect crowds. After all, the cherry trees bloom for only about two weeks. It is this ephemeral quality that came to be associated with the (supposedly) beautiful and (frequently) brief life of the samurai during the medieval period. Yet it was the monk and mountain ascetic who planted the tree in such profusion in the precincts of shrines and temples. In this way, the mountains of Yoshino have brought together ascetic, warrior and natural beauty, thereby leaving their mark on the culture of Japan.

Festival: Otaue Festival (Planting Festival), 3 April. An ancient rice-planting festival with music and dance.

Uda Mikumari Jinja                                                              UC

Middle shrine of Uda Mikumari Jinja
(photo courtesy of the shrine)

Date founded: Founded during the reign of Emperor Sujin (r. 97–30 b.c.)

Address: 245 Furuichiba, Utano-ku, Uda-shi, Nara 633-2226

Tel/Information: 0745-84-2613

How to get there: Take the Kintetsu Osaka Line to Haibara Station. Then take the Nara Kotsu Bus number 10 or 11 to Furuichiba/Mikumari Jinja-mae bus stop. The shrine is 5 minutes from there on foot.

Enshrined kami: Ame no mikumari no kami, Hayaakitsu hiko no mikoto, and Kuni no mikumari no kami.

Prayers offered: Anything related to water, abundant crops, and the health of children.

Best times to go: For the cherry blossom season from early to late April, or for the autumn color in November.

Important physical features: The principal building of Uda Mikumari Jinja is designated a National Treasure. This is the highest classification of importance in the government’s system of Important Cultural Properties. The kami are worshipped at three locations along the Yoshino River (upper [Yoshino], middle [Furuichiba] and lower [Shimoidani] shrines). The middle shrine, built in 1320 as verified by dating found on the ridgepoles of the structures, contains three kasuga-zukuri (also called ikensha-zukuri) one-by-one–bay honden standing side by side behind a tamagaki fence. The kasuga-zukuri style features a gable roof, while on the gabled side (front side) of the shrine a pent roof is added. The roof is surfaced in Japanese cedar bark. There are some departures here from the usual kasuga style. The polychroming is more elaborate as is the bracketing. In addition, there are sculptured figures within the kaerumata struts and zobana beam endings. The other chief difference is in the shape and construction of the pent roof. Here it is called a “hip-rafter inserted” style (sumigi-iri or oji-zukuri). The difference is evident in the way the corners of the cypress bark–covered pent roof curve up to meet the upward-turning corners of the gable roof. The layout of the honden behind the tamagaki fence punctuated with gates seem to relate Uda Mikumari to the style of the Kumano shrines further south.

            Two smaller shrines to the right of the main structures are from the Muromachi period and are designated Important Cultural Properties. The one to the left is a Kasuga shrine. This area once had a feudal relationship with the Kasuga/Kofukuji religious complex. The shrine bears the wisteria crest that is the mark of Kasuga Taisha and the Fujiwara clan. The structure to the right is a Munakata shrine from the late Muromachi period and is also an Important Cultural Property. The Munakata deities were originally enshrined in Kyushu as protectors of the sea lanes.

Important spiritual features: Hayaakitsu hiko no mikoto is a kami mentioned in the Kojiki as one of the deities created by Izanami and Izanagi. Actually, this deity is one half of a pair of male and female kami created at the time. Such pairs (hiko/hime) were usually taken to be the same kami, and one name is sometimes used to represent both. The Hayaakitsu kami are considered protectors of inlets and straits, and are therefore water kami. The Kojiki goes on to name the children of these kami, all of which are water kami related to elements such as waves and sea foam. Two of them, Ame no mikumari and Kuni no mikumari, are considered “water-dividing” kami and protectors of running water (“mi” comes from “mizu,” or “water,” in Japanese, and “kubaru” means “to distribute”). Such kami are usually found at the headwaters of streams or water distribution points.

            Collectively called the "kami of Mikumari," reference is made to them in a number of ancient records. Perhaps the most important mention is from the Engi shiki, completed in 927. It states that the deity is enshrined in the Mikumari Jinja in Yoshino, in Uda, in Tsuge, and in Katsuragi. It also states that there are other Mikumari shrines “here and there” but that “at the Prayer Festival and the Annual Festival, the names of Yoshino (Southern), Uda (Eastern), Tsuge (Northern), and Katsuragi (Western) are spelled out.” In other words, these four shrines were considered the most important and were known as the Yamato Yonsho Mikumari (“four Mikumari shrines of Yamato Province”).

Description: Uda Mikumari is located in the mountains east of Nara. The Nihon shoki and the Kogoshui record that Emperor Sujin sent the sacred mirror and sword from the imperial residence to be enshrined in a new location. Emperor Suinin, his successor, appointed one of his daughters, Yamatohime no mikoto, to carry them until a new location was found. Documents from the outer shrine of Ise, written in the Kamakura period, detail her ramblings in search of a new home to enshrine the spirit of Amaterasu. Records indicate that on this journey she spent four years in Akinomiya (“the Aki shrine”) in Uda. Looking at a map, one sees that Uda is in the general direction of Ise—when coming from Kashihara, where Yamatohime first alighted. Akinomiya (the “aki” of “Hayaakitsu”) is believed to refer to Uda Mikumari.

            While the continuity of such ancient sites of worship in Japan is not rare, the preservation of wooden structures over the centuries takes enormous effort. For example, the spot now occupied by Mikumari's haiden, built in 1973, was previously occupied by a kaguraden that was destroyed when a large tree toppled over in a typhoon (however another roughly 500-year-old Japanese cedar is still a feature of the shrine). With weather, fire, earthquakes, and other factors working to diminish the stock of ancient shrines, Uda Mikumari remains a miraculous survivor.

Festivals: Mikumari Reitaisai, third Sunday in October. This is the main festival of the shrine and dates from the Heian period. The shrine’s mikoshi are carried in procession and met by the mikoshi of other villages. Two drums, weighing two tons each, compete with others in a drumming “battle.” There is also a procession in Edo-period-style.