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Home Visit (tsutoiri, tsuto iri)
***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance
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Explanation
tsuto iri 衝突入 (つといり) "visiting a home"
Yamada no tsuto-iri 山田のつと入（やまだのつといり）
home visit at Yamada
bon no tsuto-iri 盆のつと入（ぼんのつといり）
home visit at O-Bon ancestor festival
The Chinese characters 衝突 are usually read "shoototsu", meaning a collision or bumping into something.
tsuto-iri was on teh 16th day of the 7th lunar month.
This is the same day as yabu-iri for servants.
This is a kigo hard to translate in a short version.
It is also probably not used any more.
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This kigo refers to an old custom in the area of Ise Yamada
伊勢の山田地方.
This day also the third day of the ancestor festival O-Bon, when the spirits of the ancestors were send back (okuri-bon 送り盆).
On the 16th day of the seventh lunar month
(now in August), on this one day it was allowed to enter any home and visit their treasure house (kura), where the scrolls and antiques and family treasures were kept. Visitors could also inspect the special living room for visitors and take a look at the garden.
The young girls of a home were also "shown" and this was a time to make acquainances and marriage arrangements.
Some sources say this was also a chance (or duty) for the rich to display all their treasured in the yashiki living room.
The meaning of the expression can also be
"sudden intrusion into a home",
but from the haiku below we learn that all was well planned and the visitors greeted kindly.
The town of Ise (伊勢市, Ise-shi)
was formerly called Uji Yamada (宇治山田).
This city is located in eastern Mie Prefecture.
It is the area of the Ise shrine.
Ise Grand Shrine (伊勢神宮, Ise Jingū)
. Ise Shrine and its KIGO
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Worldwide use
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Things found on the way
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HAIKU
つと入や蘭の香にみつ一座敷
tsuto-iri ya ran no ka ni mitsu hito-zashiki
home visiting -
the fragrance of orchids fills
the living room
Matsuse Seisei 松瀬青々 (1869 - 1937)
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つと入やしる人に逢ふ拍子ぬけ
tsuto-iri ya shiru hito ni au hyooshi nuke
forced home visit -
I meet a person I know
and feel at ease
つと入りや 納戸の暖簾ゆかしさよ
tsuto-iri ya nando no noren yukashisa yo
forced home visit -
the door curtain in front of the store room
invites me to peek in
Tr. Gabi Greve
Usually there are no door curtains in front of storage rooms, so the curiosity of Buson is stirred.
. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .
hyooshi nuke 拍子ぬけ - how best to translate?
. Discussion of facebook .
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Related words
***** Bon Festival, O-Bon, Obon お盆
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Showing posts with label August. Show all posts
Showing posts with label August. Show all posts
7/16/2010
4/10/2010
Suwa and Misayama
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
. 諏訪神社 Suwa Shrines and their Legends .
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Suwa and Misayama
***** Location: Nagano, Japan
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Observance
*****************************
Explanation
Suwa Shrine 諏訪大社 Suwa Taisha and the
Lower Suwa Shrine, Misayama 御射山
Shinano, now Nagano prefecture
There are seven wonders in the area, relevant for our kigo is this one:
Hoya-no no Sanko 穂屋野の三光:
The three rays in Hoyano
It is believed that the three rays from the sun ,the moon and a star are to be seen at the same time from the former Misayama Shrine (旧御射山社).
See below.
quote
Suwa taisha (諏訪大社), or Suwa Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Nagano prefecture, Japan. Over 1200 years old, it is one of the oldest shrines in existence, and is mentioned in the Kojiki, an 8th century text. It consists of four building complexes, the Maemiya (前宮, lit. old shrine), the Honmiya (本宮, main shrine), the Harumiya (春宮, spring shrine), and the Akimiya (秋宮, autumn shrine).
source : wikipedia
南方刀美神社 Minakatatominokami no yashiro
- - - Enshrined deities:
Tateminakata no Mikoto 建御名方命
Yasakatome no Mikoto 八坂刀売命
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kigo for early spring
Suwa no onbashira matsuri
諏訪の御柱祭 (すわのおんばしらまつり)
festival of the Suwa shrine pillars
onbashira matsuri 御柱祭（おんばしらまつり）"Suwa Pillar Festival"
Suwa matsuri 諏訪祭（すわまつり）Suwa festival
onbashira satobiki 御柱里曳（おんばしらさとびき）
quote
Onbashira (御柱祭) is a festival held every six years in the Lake Suwa area of Nagano, Japan. The purpose of the festival is to symbolically renew the Suwa Taisha or Suwa Grand Shrine. "Onbashira" can be literally translated as "the honored pillars".
The Onbashira festival is reputed to have continued, uninterrupted, for 1200 years. The festival is held once every six years, in the years of the Monkey and the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac, however the locals may say "once in seven years," because of the traditional Japanese custom of including the current year when counting a length of time.
Onbashira lasts several months, and consists of two segments, Yamadashi and Satobiki.
Yamadashi traditionally takes place in April,
and Satobiki takes place in May.
"Yamadashi" literally means "coming out of the mountains." Before this portion of the festival, huge trees are cut down in a Shinto ceremony using axes and adzes specially manufactured for this single use. The logs are decorated in red and white regalia, the traditional colors of Shinto ceremonies, and ropes are attached. During Yamadashi, Teams of men drag the logs down the mountain towards the four shrines of Suwa Taisha. The course of the logs goes over rough terrain, and at certain points the logs must be skidded or dropped down steep slopes. Young men prove their bravery by riding the logs down the hill in a ceremony known as "Ki-otoshi."
"Satobiki" festival involves the symbolic placement of the new logs to support the foundation of the shrine buildings. The logs are raised by hand, with a ceremonial group of log bearers who ride the log as it is being raised and sing from the top of the log to announce the successful raising. This ceremony was performed as part of the opening ceremonies of the Nagano Olympics in 1998.
After two festivals, there is an important event "Building of Hoden". This event isn't generally famous, and few people know that the event is held even among people who live nearby and participate in Yamadashi and Satobiki. The end of this event marks the end of Onbashira.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
The origin of this festival goes back to ancient times.
In the forest region of Suwa lived the Jomon people, off the woods with wild animals and plants gathered for food, praying to a deity of hunting and gathering.
Then came the Yayoi folks from the continent, bringing the rice cultivation and field management and a deity of agriculture.
The two clashed at Suwa but then the stronger Yayoi appeased the deity of the Jomon and venerated it in the pillars around their shrines.
- quote -
- snip -
Suwa shrines across Nagano Prefecture hold the "Pillar-raising festival" known as the Onbashira Matsuri in years of the Monkey and of the Tiger (i.e. every six years), in which shrines ceremonially raise four pillars (some shrines only erect one). Suwa Taisha is the first to raise the pillars, after which other Suwa shrines raise theirs. There are various explanations as to the symbolism or purpose of the four columns. Some suggest they were "vehicles" (yorishiro) for the kami to inhabit, others that they marked off the four corners of a sacred area. Still others explain them as substitutes for periodic shrine renewal ritual or as magical implements of the kami. There are many rituals at Suwa Taisha, and seven out of ten scrolls of the Suwa Daimyōjin ekotoba are devoted to ceremonies. ...
- source : Nogami Takahiro kokugakuin 2007 -
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source : genjin.cool.ne.jp
with more photos
kigo for early autumn
Misayama matsuri 御射山祭 (みさやままつり)
Misayama festival
hoya 穂屋（ほや）"hut with a thatched wall"
hoya matsuri 穂屋祭（ほやまつり） Festival of the thatched hut"
on the 27th of the 7th lunar month,
now on August 27 - 28.
Shrine Misayama Jinja 御射山神社 and the "Lower Shrine 下社" of Suwa.
The mountain was the hunting ground of the Suwa area.
Misayama, lit. "Honorable Mountain for Shooting".
A hut with thatched walls from pampas grass was erected for the shrine priest and young men of the village to stay over night. They had to participate in various purifying rituals, Then they had to perform hunting acrobatics like shooting from horseback 遠笠懸 and falconry. Now there are also shooting performances.
御射山御狩神事
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kigo for the New Year
kawazugari no shinji 蛙狩の神事 (かわずがりのしんじ)
ceremony of hunting for frogs
Frog Hunting Shrine Ritual
..... kawazutobi no shinji 蛙飛びの神事（かわずとびのしんじ）
frog-jumping ritual
On the morning of January 1, three or four frogs hibernation along the river bank of the river Mitarashigawa 御手洗川 are dug up and shot at with a small ritual bow and arrow made from willow wood.
This helps to predict the harvest of the coming year. Sometimes the frogs jump away and this direction a lucky direction.
Look at more photos here:
source : suwataisya/sinj
This is a prayer for peace and a good harvest in the coming year and one of the seven wonders at the Suwa shrine.
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kigo for the New Year
Sakanbe no fuyu matsuri 坂部の冬祭 (さかんべのふゆまつり)
Winter Festival in Sakanbe (Sakabe)
In Sakabe, part of Tenryu Village near the Suwa Shrine, and in other villages relating to the shrine.
It used to be held on the last month of the lunar year, but now on January 4.
People from each village go to the River Tenryuugawa 天竜川 to get pure water and bring it to the shrine in the hills near the village.
It is a ritual of "boiling water divination" (yudate 湯立て). The hot water is scattered over the participants to purify them.
Afterwards, a fest is held, sometimes ritual dancing and other performances.
- - - - - - - - - -
Shakuji Jinja 社宮司神社 しゃくじじんじゃ（
Oshamoji sama おしゃもじさま）
"Mishakuji-sama" みしゃくじさま,
Mishaguji sama ミシャグジさま , ミシャグジ神
is the name for the local female deity of the Suwa lake and Mount Moriya 守屋山.
She is resident in the Suwa Maemiya Shrine 諏訪前宮神社. It is an ancient cult of Mother Earth.
She is probably an old form of a snake worshipped and shows herself as a white snake.
Or identical with 建御名方神 or 洩矢神（モレヤ神）.
This deity is also known in other regions where matagi hunters roam the forests.
Mishaguji sha ミシャグジ社 / 御社宮司社 Shrine for Mishaguji sama
Cosmogonical Worldview of Jomon Pottery :
The Mishakuji Cult of Suwa
source : books.google.co.jp
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Worldwide use
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Things found on the way
The 7 wonders of
Lower Shrine of Great Shrines of Suwa
1
Omiwatari (御神渡: literally. God's Crossing )
Once upon a time, there were a goddess named Yasakatome-no Mikoto (八坂刀売命) and a god, Takeminakata-no Mikoto (建御名方命). When the Goddess alone moved to the Lower Shrine, the God missed her so much but found that Lake Suwa was too large to cross. Then, when Lake Suwa was frozen over, he took the chance and walked over the ice to her shrine. (Some say it was the messenger, kitsune 狐 a fox).
Today his footsteps are said to be Omiwatari. (This natural phenomenon is said to be caused as water expands with freezing in winter. The straight line of the sharp upheaval appears on the surface, and is called Omiwatari.) People used to regard Omiwatari as the sign which insured safety on the ice. When it came, they would step on Lake Suwa.
2
Misakuda-no wase (御作田の早稲: Early-ripening rice plants in Misakuda)
A rice-planting festival held on July 30th. The rice planted in the festival ripens in 60 days according to the old legend.
3
Gokoku no Tsutsu-gayu (五穀の筒粥: The porridge of five staple grains in the reed straws )
A ritual performed at Tsutsugayuden (筒粥殿: lit. the hall in which to cook the porridge in reed straws) in Haru Shrine. On the evening of January 14th. , rice and azuki-beans are cooked in a pot , into which a bunch of 42 reed straws are put .The next morning ,they perform auguries by the amount of porridge and azuki-beans trapped in the reed straws and “Divination never fails to be true”.
4
Yuguchi-no Seidaku (湯口の清濁: Purity and impurity of hot spring water from the spout)
Legend has it that the company of an unclean person in the public bath, Watanoyu (綿の湯), makes the hot spring water from the spout cloudy.
5
Neiri-no Sugi (寝入の杉: The cedar asleep)
The fabled tall cedar called Otakara gi (お宝木: lit. the treasure tree) on the premises of Aki Shrine.
It is still told to this day that the cedar falls asleep with its branches 10 cm lowered in the middle of the night, when its snoring can be heard.
6
Ukishima (浮島: The floating island)
An island on the Togawa (砥川: River To), which runs through the rear of the Haru Shrine. On the island is Ukishima sha (浮島社: a small shrine on Ukishima) Legend credits the island with the ability of surviving any floodwaters.
7
Hoyano-no Sanko (穂屋野の三光: The three rays in Hoyano)
It is believed that the three rays from the sun ,the moon and a star are to be seen at the same time from the former Misayama Shrine (旧御射山社).
source : Legends and folk tales of Suwa
. omiwatari 御神渡 (おみわたり) gods crossing the frozen lake
kigo for late winter
Akenoumi 開けの海 means the lake does not freeze and there is no omiwatari in a year.
This happened in February 21, 2009, just before the ceremony before Yatsurugi Shrine 八剣神社 in Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture.
.......................................................................
kamiyu 神湯 "hot water of the deity", hot spring
with public bath, Kamiyu (open) and Shimoyu (half closed)
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HAIKU
御射山やけふ一日のはなすすき
Misayama ya kyoo ichi nichi no hana susuki
Misayama--
today, all day
blooming pampas grass
Kobayashi Issa 一茶
Tr. David Lanoue
More haiku by Issa about this area
御射山や一日に出来し神の里
御謝山の晴にくねるか女郎花
寝祭りや我御射山の初尾花
花芒吹草臥て寝たりけり
みさ山の芒序や風祭り
みさ山や見ても涼しきすゝき箸
みさ山やこんな在所も女郎花
野庵も穂屋の御役ニ立けり
noan mo hoya no o-yaku ni tachi-keri
..........................................................................
. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .
misayama ya mite mo suzushiki susuki-bashi
Misayama Mountain --
I feel cooler just seeing
chopsticks of green reed
Tr. Chris Drake
This hokku is from the 7th month (August) of 1821.
Issa went to the large Suwa Shinto Shrine to see the Misayama Festival, held from 7/26 to 7/30, which was accompanied by sumo contests and many other events. On 7/27 (August 24th in 1821) priests and a group of believers go up the low mountain and build a hut walled and thatched with miscanthus, a kind of reed growing to 5-7 feet high, with striking tufts on the top. There they commune with the gods of the shrine and pray.
Meanwhile the Misayama Shrine at the foot of the mountain distributes special chopsticks from the still green stalks of miscanthus reeds to believers, who then eat special rice with the chopsticks. People later take these reed chopsticks home and put them beside bowls of rice that they place in small shrines in their homes to the Suwa Shrine gods, who are believed to bring good harvests. Issa has received a pair of these chopsticks, and even before he eats with them and thereby symbolically shares his rice with the gods, the sight of the green stalks used as chopsticks makes him feel cooler on this probably hot early autumn day.
A little more than a year later a breeze blowing from Lake Suwa, about 80 miles from his hometown, causes Issa to write:
suzushisa wa kami-yo no sama yo susuki-bashi
this coolness
from the age of the gods --
chopsticks of green reed
The breeze seems to remind Issa of his experience at the Suwa Shrine, and the timeless time of the gods descends on him again for a few moments, cooling and refreshing him.
Basho also has a hokku about the Misayama Festival reed-thatched prayer hut in the first part of the Sarumino anthology. It evokes early winter:
yuki chiru ya hoya no susuki no kari-nokoshi
scattering snowflakes --
tufted reeds left uncut
for the thatched prayer hut
This hokku suggests loneliness because being cut to serve as part of a wall or the roof in the reed hut -- called the Tufted Hut -- into which gods descend on Misayama Mountain during the Misayama Festival was considered a great honor. The stalks that remain are therefore those that have been passed over and were unable to take part. Now, left behind, the dry, tufted reeds stand amid a snow flurry, accentuating with their astringent straightness the swirling of the flakes.
Some dictionaries give "Japanese pampas grass" for susuki reeds, but strictly speaking they are miscanthus reeds (Miscanthus sinensis). A look at Wiki photos will show that miscanthus is slightly slimmer than pampas grass and its tufts more like soft tassels than the long plumes of the pampas grass, with can suggest spearheads.
Here is a photo of chopsticks made from miscanthus reeds.
The stalks are still green, but in late autumn they turn completely light brown.
Chris Drake
Shrines visited by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
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さをしかや社壇に角を奉る
saoshika ya shadan ni tsuno o tatematsuru
a stag offers
his old antlers
to a Shinto shrine
Tr. Chris Drake
This hokku was written in the 4th month (May) of 1824.
Issa's diary says he visited the local Suwa Shinto shrine on 4/15, so the hokku may be based on what he saw there. The Sino-Japanese word shadan (社壇) means a sacred building at a Shinto shrine, so the stag in the hokku seems to have shed his old antlers right in front of a hall of worship at a rural shrine near some woods inhabited by deer. Some Shinto shrines, including the Kashima Shrine, visited by Issa several years earlier, have sacred deer living on their precincts, but the shrine in this hokku seems to be an ordinary Shinto shrine. I take the image to be of a set of antlers left earlier near the steps or entrance to the shrine main building dedicated to the shrine's god or gods, since it seems unlikely the stag is shedding his antlers in front of many people. Deer hunting was widespread in mountainous Shinano, where Issa is living, so the stag would be putting himself in danger if he appeared in broad daylight in an area visited by many humans, even if hunters couldn't hunt within the precincts of the shrine. Issa obviously feels that the stag had some sort of awareness that the shrine was a sacred place and that his placement of his antlers is the result of that awareness, whatever the exact nature of that awareness is.
Although Issa attributes certain feelings to the stag, this hokku doesn't seem to be based on strong personification. It simply points to the location of the antlers as a sign that the stag instinctively wanted to offer something that once had great importance in a place that seemed peaceful and spiritual. In Shinto many gods are depicted as riding on stags or using stags as their assistants, so the fallen antlers would probably be treated with great respect and care by the shrine priests.
Chris Drake
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source : rakanneko.jp/buson
名月やうさぎのわたる諏訪の海
meigetsu ya usagi no wataru Suwa no umi
In harvest moonlight--
rabbits seem to be running
over the lake of Suwa.
Tr. Sawa/ Shiffert
. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .
In former times, on a moonlit night, when the lake showed white waves, this was called "a rabbit is running" 兎が走る.
. WKD : The Hare (Rabbit) in the Moon .
pounding rice cakes
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Related words
The great shrine Suwa Taisha Kamisha (Upper Suwa Shrine) 諏訪神社上社 issued special amulet-permits and the chopsticks to eat "meat from the mountains", which took away the "spiritual pollution" when eating meat.
kajiki no men 鹿食之免料理
***** . kajikibashi 鹿食箸
chopsticks to eat "mountain meat"
from Suwa Shrine
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. Niino no yukimatsuri 新野の雪祭 (にいののゆきまつり)
snow festival at Niino .
Tenryu, Nagano
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Suwa Jinja, Nishi-Nippori, Tokyo
This shrine was built in the Kamakura period.
From its hill there is a good view to Mount Fujisan.
Kasamatsu Shirō 笠松紫浪 (1898-1991)
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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
. 諏訪神社 Suwa Shrines and their Legends .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Suwa and Misayama
***** Location: Nagano, Japan
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Observance
*****************************
Explanation
Suwa Shrine 諏訪大社 Suwa Taisha and the
Lower Suwa Shrine, Misayama 御射山
Shinano, now Nagano prefecture
There are seven wonders in the area, relevant for our kigo is this one:
Hoya-no no Sanko 穂屋野の三光:
The three rays in Hoyano
It is believed that the three rays from the sun ,the moon and a star are to be seen at the same time from the former Misayama Shrine (旧御射山社).
See below.
quote
Suwa taisha (諏訪大社), or Suwa Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Nagano prefecture, Japan. Over 1200 years old, it is one of the oldest shrines in existence, and is mentioned in the Kojiki, an 8th century text. It consists of four building complexes, the Maemiya (前宮, lit. old shrine), the Honmiya (本宮, main shrine), the Harumiya (春宮, spring shrine), and the Akimiya (秋宮, autumn shrine).
source : wikipedia
南方刀美神社 Minakatatominokami no yashiro
- - - Enshrined deities:
Tateminakata no Mikoto 建御名方命
Yasakatome no Mikoto 八坂刀売命
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
kigo for early spring
Suwa no onbashira matsuri
諏訪の御柱祭 (すわのおんばしらまつり)
festival of the Suwa shrine pillars
onbashira matsuri 御柱祭（おんばしらまつり）"Suwa Pillar Festival"
Suwa matsuri 諏訪祭（すわまつり）Suwa festival
onbashira satobiki 御柱里曳（おんばしらさとびき）
quote
Onbashira (御柱祭) is a festival held every six years in the Lake Suwa area of Nagano, Japan. The purpose of the festival is to symbolically renew the Suwa Taisha or Suwa Grand Shrine. "Onbashira" can be literally translated as "the honored pillars".
The Onbashira festival is reputed to have continued, uninterrupted, for 1200 years. The festival is held once every six years, in the years of the Monkey and the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac, however the locals may say "once in seven years," because of the traditional Japanese custom of including the current year when counting a length of time.
Onbashira lasts several months, and consists of two segments, Yamadashi and Satobiki.
Yamadashi traditionally takes place in April,
and Satobiki takes place in May.
"Yamadashi" literally means "coming out of the mountains." Before this portion of the festival, huge trees are cut down in a Shinto ceremony using axes and adzes specially manufactured for this single use. The logs are decorated in red and white regalia, the traditional colors of Shinto ceremonies, and ropes are attached. During Yamadashi, Teams of men drag the logs down the mountain towards the four shrines of Suwa Taisha. The course of the logs goes over rough terrain, and at certain points the logs must be skidded or dropped down steep slopes. Young men prove their bravery by riding the logs down the hill in a ceremony known as "Ki-otoshi."
"Satobiki" festival involves the symbolic placement of the new logs to support the foundation of the shrine buildings. The logs are raised by hand, with a ceremonial group of log bearers who ride the log as it is being raised and sing from the top of the log to announce the successful raising. This ceremony was performed as part of the opening ceremonies of the Nagano Olympics in 1998.
After two festivals, there is an important event "Building of Hoden". This event isn't generally famous, and few people know that the event is held even among people who live nearby and participate in Yamadashi and Satobiki. The end of this event marks the end of Onbashira.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
The origin of this festival goes back to ancient times.
In the forest region of Suwa lived the Jomon people, off the woods with wild animals and plants gathered for food, praying to a deity of hunting and gathering.
Then came the Yayoi folks from the continent, bringing the rice cultivation and field management and a deity of agriculture.
The two clashed at Suwa but then the stronger Yayoi appeased the deity of the Jomon and venerated it in the pillars around their shrines.
- quote -
- snip -
Suwa shrines across Nagano Prefecture hold the "Pillar-raising festival" known as the Onbashira Matsuri in years of the Monkey and of the Tiger (i.e. every six years), in which shrines ceremonially raise four pillars (some shrines only erect one). Suwa Taisha is the first to raise the pillars, after which other Suwa shrines raise theirs. There are various explanations as to the symbolism or purpose of the four columns. Some suggest they were "vehicles" (yorishiro) for the kami to inhabit, others that they marked off the four corners of a sacred area. Still others explain them as substitutes for periodic shrine renewal ritual or as magical implements of the kami. There are many rituals at Suwa Taisha, and seven out of ten scrolls of the Suwa Daimyōjin ekotoba are devoted to ceremonies. ...
- source : Nogami Takahiro kokugakuin 2007 -
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source : genjin.cool.ne.jp
with more photos
kigo for early autumn
Misayama matsuri 御射山祭 (みさやままつり)
Misayama festival
hoya 穂屋（ほや）"hut with a thatched wall"
hoya matsuri 穂屋祭（ほやまつり） Festival of the thatched hut"
on the 27th of the 7th lunar month,
now on August 27 - 28.
Shrine Misayama Jinja 御射山神社 and the "Lower Shrine 下社" of Suwa.
The mountain was the hunting ground of the Suwa area.
Misayama, lit. "Honorable Mountain for Shooting".
A hut with thatched walls from pampas grass was erected for the shrine priest and young men of the village to stay over night. They had to participate in various purifying rituals, Then they had to perform hunting acrobatics like shooting from horseback 遠笠懸 and falconry. Now there are also shooting performances.
御射山御狩神事
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kigo for the New Year
kawazugari no shinji 蛙狩の神事 (かわずがりのしんじ)
ceremony of hunting for frogs
Frog Hunting Shrine Ritual
..... kawazutobi no shinji 蛙飛びの神事（かわずとびのしんじ）
frog-jumping ritual
On the morning of January 1, three or four frogs hibernation along the river bank of the river Mitarashigawa 御手洗川 are dug up and shot at with a small ritual bow and arrow made from willow wood.
This helps to predict the harvest of the coming year. Sometimes the frogs jump away and this direction a lucky direction.
Look at more photos here:
source : suwataisya/sinj
This is a prayer for peace and a good harvest in the coming year and one of the seven wonders at the Suwa shrine.
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kigo for the New Year
Sakanbe no fuyu matsuri 坂部の冬祭 (さかんべのふゆまつり)
Winter Festival in Sakanbe (Sakabe)
In Sakabe, part of Tenryu Village near the Suwa Shrine, and in other villages relating to the shrine.
It used to be held on the last month of the lunar year, but now on January 4.
People from each village go to the River Tenryuugawa 天竜川 to get pure water and bring it to the shrine in the hills near the village.
It is a ritual of "boiling water divination" (yudate 湯立て). The hot water is scattered over the participants to purify them.
Afterwards, a fest is held, sometimes ritual dancing and other performances.
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Shakuji Jinja 社宮司神社 しゃくじじんじゃ（
Oshamoji sama おしゃもじさま）
"Mishakuji-sama" みしゃくじさま,
Mishaguji sama ミシャグジさま , ミシャグジ神
is the name for the local female deity of the Suwa lake and Mount Moriya 守屋山.
She is resident in the Suwa Maemiya Shrine 諏訪前宮神社. It is an ancient cult of Mother Earth.
She is probably an old form of a snake worshipped and shows herself as a white snake.
Or identical with 建御名方神 or 洩矢神（モレヤ神）.
This deity is also known in other regions where matagi hunters roam the forests.
Mishaguji sha ミシャグジ社 / 御社宮司社 Shrine for Mishaguji sama
Cosmogonical Worldview of Jomon Pottery :
The Mishakuji Cult of Suwa
source : books.google.co.jp
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Worldwide use
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Things found on the way
The 7 wonders of
Lower Shrine of Great Shrines of Suwa
1
Omiwatari (御神渡: literally. God's Crossing )
Once upon a time, there were a goddess named Yasakatome-no Mikoto (八坂刀売命) and a god, Takeminakata-no Mikoto (建御名方命). When the Goddess alone moved to the Lower Shrine, the God missed her so much but found that Lake Suwa was too large to cross. Then, when Lake Suwa was frozen over, he took the chance and walked over the ice to her shrine. (Some say it was the messenger, kitsune 狐 a fox).
Today his footsteps are said to be Omiwatari. (This natural phenomenon is said to be caused as water expands with freezing in winter. The straight line of the sharp upheaval appears on the surface, and is called Omiwatari.) People used to regard Omiwatari as the sign which insured safety on the ice. When it came, they would step on Lake Suwa.
2
Misakuda-no wase (御作田の早稲: Early-ripening rice plants in Misakuda)
A rice-planting festival held on July 30th. The rice planted in the festival ripens in 60 days according to the old legend.
3
Gokoku no Tsutsu-gayu (五穀の筒粥: The porridge of five staple grains in the reed straws )
A ritual performed at Tsutsugayuden (筒粥殿: lit. the hall in which to cook the porridge in reed straws) in Haru Shrine. On the evening of January 14th. , rice and azuki-beans are cooked in a pot , into which a bunch of 42 reed straws are put .The next morning ,they perform auguries by the amount of porridge and azuki-beans trapped in the reed straws and “Divination never fails to be true”.
4
Yuguchi-no Seidaku (湯口の清濁: Purity and impurity of hot spring water from the spout)
Legend has it that the company of an unclean person in the public bath, Watanoyu (綿の湯), makes the hot spring water from the spout cloudy.
5
Neiri-no Sugi (寝入の杉: The cedar asleep)
The fabled tall cedar called Otakara gi (お宝木: lit. the treasure tree) on the premises of Aki Shrine.
It is still told to this day that the cedar falls asleep with its branches 10 cm lowered in the middle of the night, when its snoring can be heard.
6
Ukishima (浮島: The floating island)
An island on the Togawa (砥川: River To), which runs through the rear of the Haru Shrine. On the island is Ukishima sha (浮島社: a small shrine on Ukishima) Legend credits the island with the ability of surviving any floodwaters.
7
Hoyano-no Sanko (穂屋野の三光: The three rays in Hoyano)
It is believed that the three rays from the sun ,the moon and a star are to be seen at the same time from the former Misayama Shrine (旧御射山社).
source : Legends and folk tales of Suwa
. omiwatari 御神渡 (おみわたり) gods crossing the frozen lake
kigo for late winter
Akenoumi 開けの海 means the lake does not freeze and there is no omiwatari in a year.
This happened in February 21, 2009, just before the ceremony before Yatsurugi Shrine 八剣神社 in Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture.
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kamiyu 神湯 "hot water of the deity", hot spring
with public bath, Kamiyu (open) and Shimoyu (half closed)
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HAIKU
御射山やけふ一日のはなすすき
Misayama ya kyoo ichi nichi no hana susuki
Misayama--
today, all day
blooming pampas grass
Kobayashi Issa 一茶
Tr. David Lanoue
More haiku by Issa about this area
御射山や一日に出来し神の里
御謝山の晴にくねるか女郎花
寝祭りや我御射山の初尾花
花芒吹草臥て寝たりけり
みさ山の芒序や風祭り
みさ山や見ても涼しきすゝき箸
みさ山やこんな在所も女郎花
野庵も穂屋の御役ニ立けり
noan mo hoya no o-yaku ni tachi-keri
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. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .
misayama ya mite mo suzushiki susuki-bashi
Misayama Mountain --
I feel cooler just seeing
chopsticks of green reed
Tr. Chris Drake
This hokku is from the 7th month (August) of 1821.
Issa went to the large Suwa Shinto Shrine to see the Misayama Festival, held from 7/26 to 7/30, which was accompanied by sumo contests and many other events. On 7/27 (August 24th in 1821) priests and a group of believers go up the low mountain and build a hut walled and thatched with miscanthus, a kind of reed growing to 5-7 feet high, with striking tufts on the top. There they commune with the gods of the shrine and pray.
Meanwhile the Misayama Shrine at the foot of the mountain distributes special chopsticks from the still green stalks of miscanthus reeds to believers, who then eat special rice with the chopsticks. People later take these reed chopsticks home and put them beside bowls of rice that they place in small shrines in their homes to the Suwa Shrine gods, who are believed to bring good harvests. Issa has received a pair of these chopsticks, and even before he eats with them and thereby symbolically shares his rice with the gods, the sight of the green stalks used as chopsticks makes him feel cooler on this probably hot early autumn day.
A little more than a year later a breeze blowing from Lake Suwa, about 80 miles from his hometown, causes Issa to write:
suzushisa wa kami-yo no sama yo susuki-bashi
this coolness
from the age of the gods --
chopsticks of green reed
The breeze seems to remind Issa of his experience at the Suwa Shrine, and the timeless time of the gods descends on him again for a few moments, cooling and refreshing him.
Basho also has a hokku about the Misayama Festival reed-thatched prayer hut in the first part of the Sarumino anthology. It evokes early winter:
yuki chiru ya hoya no susuki no kari-nokoshi
scattering snowflakes --
tufted reeds left uncut
for the thatched prayer hut
This hokku suggests loneliness because being cut to serve as part of a wall or the roof in the reed hut -- called the Tufted Hut -- into which gods descend on Misayama Mountain during the Misayama Festival was considered a great honor. The stalks that remain are therefore those that have been passed over and were unable to take part. Now, left behind, the dry, tufted reeds stand amid a snow flurry, accentuating with their astringent straightness the swirling of the flakes.
Some dictionaries give "Japanese pampas grass" for susuki reeds, but strictly speaking they are miscanthus reeds (Miscanthus sinensis). A look at Wiki photos will show that miscanthus is slightly slimmer than pampas grass and its tufts more like soft tassels than the long plumes of the pampas grass, with can suggest spearheads.
Here is a photo of chopsticks made from miscanthus reeds.
The stalks are still green, but in late autumn they turn completely light brown.
Chris Drake
Shrines visited by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
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さをしかや社壇に角を奉る
saoshika ya shadan ni tsuno o tatematsuru
a stag offers
his old antlers
to a Shinto shrine
Tr. Chris Drake
This hokku was written in the 4th month (May) of 1824.
Issa's diary says he visited the local Suwa Shinto shrine on 4/15, so the hokku may be based on what he saw there. The Sino-Japanese word shadan (社壇) means a sacred building at a Shinto shrine, so the stag in the hokku seems to have shed his old antlers right in front of a hall of worship at a rural shrine near some woods inhabited by deer. Some Shinto shrines, including the Kashima Shrine, visited by Issa several years earlier, have sacred deer living on their precincts, but the shrine in this hokku seems to be an ordinary Shinto shrine. I take the image to be of a set of antlers left earlier near the steps or entrance to the shrine main building dedicated to the shrine's god or gods, since it seems unlikely the stag is shedding his antlers in front of many people. Deer hunting was widespread in mountainous Shinano, where Issa is living, so the stag would be putting himself in danger if he appeared in broad daylight in an area visited by many humans, even if hunters couldn't hunt within the precincts of the shrine. Issa obviously feels that the stag had some sort of awareness that the shrine was a sacred place and that his placement of his antlers is the result of that awareness, whatever the exact nature of that awareness is.
Although Issa attributes certain feelings to the stag, this hokku doesn't seem to be based on strong personification. It simply points to the location of the antlers as a sign that the stag instinctively wanted to offer something that once had great importance in a place that seemed peaceful and spiritual. In Shinto many gods are depicted as riding on stags or using stags as their assistants, so the fallen antlers would probably be treated with great respect and care by the shrine priests.
Chris Drake
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source : rakanneko.jp/buson
名月やうさぎのわたる諏訪の海
meigetsu ya usagi no wataru Suwa no umi
In harvest moonlight--
rabbits seem to be running
over the lake of Suwa.
Tr. Sawa/ Shiffert
. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .
In former times, on a moonlit night, when the lake showed white waves, this was called "a rabbit is running" 兎が走る.
. WKD : The Hare (Rabbit) in the Moon .
pounding rice cakes
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Related words
The great shrine Suwa Taisha Kamisha (Upper Suwa Shrine) 諏訪神社上社 issued special amulet-permits and the chopsticks to eat "meat from the mountains", which took away the "spiritual pollution" when eating meat.
kajiki no men 鹿食之免料理
***** . kajikibashi 鹿食箸
chopsticks to eat "mountain meat"
from Suwa Shrine
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. Niino no yukimatsuri 新野の雪祭 (にいののゆきまつり)
snow festival at Niino .
Tenryu, Nagano
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Suwa Jinja, Nishi-Nippori, Tokyo
This shrine was built in the Kamakura period.
From its hill there is a good view to Mount Fujisan.
Kasamatsu Shirō 笠松紫浪 (1898-1991)
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BACK : Top of this Saijiki
. 諏訪神社 Suwa Shrines and their Legends .
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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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3/09/2010
Kashima Shrine
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
Katori Jingu Shrine, see below. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kashima Shrine (Kashima Jingu)
***** Location: Ibaraki
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Observance
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Explanation
Kashima Shrine 鹿島神宮 Kashima Jingu
This shrine is dedicated to the deity
Tekemikazuchi standing on a catfish
Takemikazuchi no mikoto (武甕槌大神)
Kashima Daijin (鹿島大神) "Great God at Kashima".
a patron of the martial arts.
In the precincts ther is a famous training hall (doojoo) for martial arts, especially sword fighting (kendoo 剣道).
The "Great God of Kashima" rode on a white deer from Kashima all the way to the Kasuga shrine in Nara as a divine messenger, and the deer became the symbol of Nara.
The Kasuga Deer Mandala tells the story.
Kashima Deer, Photo from Rob Geraghty
Look at more
. . .Japan Photos from Rob Geraghty
Thank you, Rob, for sharing your photos!
Rob lived in Kashima for quite a while in 2002.
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The Katori Shrine (香取神宮 Katori Jingū)
is a Shintō shrine in the city of Katori in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is the ichinomiya of former Shimōsa Province, and is the head shrine of the approximately 400 Katori shrines around the country (located primarily in the Kantō region).
The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 14, with a three-day Grand Festival held every 12 years.
The primary kami of Katori Shrine is Futsunushi (経津主神, Futsunushi-no-kami), the kami of swords and lightning, and a general of Amaterasu.
- - - - - History
The foundation of Katori Shrine predates the historical period. Per the Hitachi Fudoki, an ancient record and per shrine tradition, it was established in 643 BC, the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Jimmu. During this period, the Ō clan (多氏, Ō-shi) migrated from Higo Province in Kyushu, conquering local emishi tribes, and forming an alliance with the nearby Nakatomi clan, the progenitors of the Fujiwara clan at what is now Kashima Jingū.
In the mid-Heian period Engishiki records, it is ranked alongside Ise Jingū and Kashima Jingū as one of three shrines with the Jingū designation.
- source and more : wikipedia -
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kigo for the New Year
Kashima no kotobure 鹿島の事触 (かしまのことぶれ)
Kashima diviners, itinerant priests
..... kotobure 言触（ことぶれ）
36 people walk around the villages and shout the outcome of the divination at the shrine Kashima (鹿島神宮), which occured on January 4.
see below
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. . hakubasai, hakuba sai 白馬祭（はくばさい）
Festival of the White Horse
If you see a white horse during the New Year celebrations, you will live a long life and ward off evil for the coming year and stay healthy. Therefore shrines with a white horse make a parade for all to see the animal.
In Kashima, they parade seven white horses. If you pick up a small stone where the horses walked or have your hankerchief trodden on, this will bring your love to fulfillment.
On this day, white sweet ricewine (amazake) and porridge of seven herbs is also served.
Ema votive tablet from Katori shrine 香取神宮
. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .
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kigo for mid-spring
Kashima Saitoosai 鹿島祭頭祭 (かしまさいとうさい)
Kashima Saito-Sai Festival
March 9
The Saito Sai dates back more than 1200 years to the Nara Period (710 to 794). Soldiers called sakimori 防人 were sent off to do duty in far-away Kyushu. Before leaving, they gathered at Kashima Jingu to offer prayers for victory in battle and a safe journey. Many people paraded through the streets to see them off and wish them well. Lately this has become a wild parade through the city.
Now the festival is held to pray for a good harvest of the five crops, rice, wheat, beans, foxtail millet and egg millet. Officials in traditional garb with sashes to hold back the long sleeves in the five colors representing these crops parade through the street.
Others with long poles jump around a drummer, dance and sing the special festival song "Soranbushi ソーラン節". There are many wild groups of this kind, all in different colored robes.
. Reference
quote
The Legacy of Sakimori - the frontier guard conscripts
The term SAKIMORI first appeared in 645, and it is interesting to look at its etymology. Though the Japanese characters used to write it are now 防人, which is a compound difficult even for Japanese to read and literally means DEFENDING PEOPLE, the origin of the word as it PRONOUNCED comes from the characters 崎守 SAKI MORI, which means defenders of the capes, the fringes of the country, or 境守, SAKAIMORI, literally border protecters.
Another way of writing the word sakimori 先守, sheds further light on the intended purpose of this conscripted force as it means the pre- defenders, or the first line of defense, which is in fact what they would have been in case of an invasion. Their role would be to hold off the enemy long enough for a large army made up of soldiers from Western Japan to show up.
. . . The Sakimori system, which actually remained in operation for a period of 163 years ( until 826), imposed great hardships on the conscripted men and on their families ( which was why the system was eventually abolished, along with the fact that the fear of invasion also eventually faded away).
The Songs of The Sakimori - SAKIMORI NO UTA
made their way into the Manyoshu.
霰降り鹿島の神を祈りつつ
皇御軍士に我は来にしを
arare furi Kashima no kami o inoritsutsu
suberamikusa ni ware wa ki ni shi o
I have come, as a warrior for the Emperor,
to pray before the God of Kashima
source : blog.alientimes.org
arare furi 霰ふり hail falls
is a special word (makurakotoba) to denote the God of Kashima in the Manyoshu poetry.
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kigo for early autumn
Kashima matsuri 鹿島祭 (かしままつり)
Kashima Festival
Kashima goshinkoosai 鹿島御神幸祭（かしまごしんこうさい）
September 1 and 2
(it used to be in the seventh lunar month)
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observance kigo for the New Year
Hitachi obi no shinji 常陸帯の神事 (ひたちおびのしんじ)
Hitachi Belt Ceremony
Hitachi obi no matsuri 常陸帯の祭（ひたちおびのまつり）
Hitachi obi 常陸帯（ひたちおび）"Belt from Hitachi"
Kashima no obi 鹿島の帯（かしまのおび）"Belt from Kashima"
enmusubi no shinji 縁結び神事（えんむすびしんじ）
ceremony for finding a partner
On the 10th day of the first lunar month.
It is customary for a young girl to present a girdle to the Gods of Kashima and wish for a good partner in life. They would write the name of their future husband on the belt and hope for the Deities to tie the knot for them.
This dates back to Emperess Jingu Kogo and her belt during pregnancy.
. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .
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quote
Kashima Shinko 鹿島信仰
It is possible to think of Kashima faith as the sect based at Kashima Jingū in Kashima-machi, Ibaraki Prefecture, but it can broadly be divided into beliefs related to water, "tutelary of roads" (sae no kami 障の神（さえのかみ）), and Kashima shrines. Many regions and shrines bear the name "Kashima," and since these are usually found in river, stream, lake, or swamp areas, we can assume that the origins of Kashima faith are profoundly connected with water.
Images of sae no kami are called Kashima dolls, straw dolls, Shōkisama, and dōsojin, among other names. Most of these images are very large, made of straw, and are characterized by their exposed sexual organs. They protected village borders from the invasion of "plague kami" (ekishin) and were prayed to in order to ensure safety or prosperity. In some regions, during the Kashima Festival dolls are placed in "Kashima boats" and sent out to sea in order to send ekishin away.
According to the Hitachi no kuni fudoki, the "enshrined kami" (saijin) at Kashima Jingū in Kashimamachi, Ibaraki Prefecture is "Kashimanoama no ōkami," but there are many documents, including the Kojiki, which record the saijin as Takemikadsuchi no kami. The latter is worshipped at the first shrine within Kasuga Taisha, and was exalted to a "kami of the nation" (kokkashin) when the imperial court expanded into the Tōgoku region.
In the Heian Period, the Jinmyōchō section of the Engishiki records that "spirit emanations" (bunrei) of the Kashima kami and "honorable child kami" (mikogami) were enshrined in Mutsu no kuni, indicating that the cult may have spread in connection with the government’s expansion into the Tōhoku area.
Even into the early modern period, the distribution of Kashima emblems (shinsatsu) by itinerant Kashima priests called kotobure was a means of spreading the Kashima cult among the common people. The popularity of the "three-shrine pilgrimage" that included Katori, Kashima and Ikisu was the result of the development of inland waterway transport on the Tonegawa and other rivers, and is also related to the growing economic status of the Edo populace.
The ritual of "hitachiobi 常陸帯 " on January 14 at Kashima Shrine became widely known, being mentioned in The Tale of Genji and in a yōkyoku (Noh script).
From the medieval period, the virtues of Kashima were "preached" (shōdō ) by traveling monks. This can be inferred by the inclusion of the chapters "Kashima Daimyōjin" and "Kasuga Daimyōjin no koto" in the Shintoshū. The Hachimangū dōkun (also read dōkin) and various Hachiman "origin legends" (engi) include a story where the Kashima kami is equated with Azumi no isora and a legend about Shioyaki Bunta. Shioyaki Bunta is also the protagonist of the otogi-zōshi tale "Bunshō sōshi," but the Hachiman legend comes from a separate tradition. These stories spread through the preaching of low-ranking religious leaders and Zenkōji hijiri.
The "Kashima odori" performed in the western area of Sagami Bay involved dancing while dressed up as Kashima no kotobure, who would travel around distributing takusen of good or bad fortune and amulets. The dance may have originated at Kashima Shrine. There is also a legend about a "keystone" (kaname ishi) within the shrine precincts that the kami of Kashima uses to restrain a tremendous fish under the earth, whose movement causes earthquakes.
Thus, Kashima is also famous for its cult of warding off earthquakes.
source : Nogami Takahiro / Kokugakuin University.
常陸国鹿島神社 Hitachi no Kuni, Kashima Jinja
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Worldwide use
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Things found on the way
米倉鹿嶋神社 献饌行事 Yonekura-kashima-jinja Kensen-gyouji
The Kensen Ritual at Yonekura Kashima Shrine
The Kensen Ritual is performed on September 9 to 10 every year at Kashima Shrine in the Yonekura area in Osaki City, the rice producing center of Miyagi Prefecture, where famous rice brands such as Sasanishiki and Hitomebore were born.
Kensen is a Shinto ritual of offering food to the god.
It is performed before a shrine priest offers a prayer. As the oldest and most historic shrine in Osaki City, this ritual had been performed by the descendants of the vassals of the Osaki clan (a branch of the Ashikaga clan, who were descended from Seiwa Genji) until the end of World War II. Today it is performed by the hands of local people.
On the first day, the first rice ear of the season is offered to the god in appreciation for a rich harvest. Then, it is followed by other rites and ends with Naorai (banquet), in which holy sake wine and votive offerings are served to the participants. The finale of the festival is the parade of Mikoshi performed on the second day. This solemn ritual is prefecturally designated as an intangible folk cultural property (manners and customs).
Kashima Castle
was located in Shiroyama, Kashima City, Ibaraki Pref. It was built by Kashima Masamiki in the Kamakura period (1192-1333). The Kashima clan was appointed as Sodaigyoji-shoku (general director of rituals) in 1368. Since then the family was called by this title and gained prosperity.
Kashima Shrine Festivals and Kagura Dance
source : nipponkichi.jp
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Kashima Torii 鹿島鳥居 Kashima Shrine Gate
a type of 神明鳥居 Shinmei torii, a rather simple form without an incline or secondary lintel. The topmost lintel is round and longer than the two pillars.
Another sample is at Katori Jinguu 香取神宮.
. Torii 鳥居
The Gate of a Shinto Shrine
Katori Shrine sells this :
. amulet against sainan 災難除守 misfortune and disaster .
.................................................................................
. Anzan, Talismans for easy delivery
One very famous historical Anzan Talisman in the shape of a crystal pearl was used by Fujiwara no Ishii 藤原威子 and then donated in 1034 to Kashima Shrine, later it was also used by Emperess Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 Jinguu Koogoo.
.................................................................................
source : 20century.blog2 地震錦絵
. Earthquake myths about Kashima
A giant catfish (namazu) lived in mud beneath the earth. The catfish liked to play pranks and could only be restrained by Kashima, a deity who protected the Japanese people from earthquakes. So long as Kashima kept a mighty rock with magical powers over the catfish, the earth was still. But when he relaxed his guard, the catfish thrashed about, causing earthquakes.
.................................................................................
. Yamaoka Tesshu 山岡鉄舟
His father was a retainer of the Tokugawa Government and his mother was the daughter of a Shinto priest from Kashima Shrine.
Tsukahara Bokuden 塚原卜伝
(1489 - March 6, 1571)
塚原小太郎勝義 Tsukahara Kotaro Yoshikatsu
a famous swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was widely regarded as a kensei (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of fencing, and served as an instructor of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor Tomonori Kitabatake.
... He later systematized the teaching of the Kashima area's local martial arts, including such approaches to combat as Kashima no tachi and Ichi no tachi. After allegedly receiving a divine inspiration from Takemikazuchi no kami, the deity of Kashima Shrine, he named his martial system as Kashima Shintō-ryū. He also, for a brief period, called his system Mutekatsu-ryū ("winning without hands").
He died of natural causes in 1571. His grave, in Suka, Japan where Baikouji once stood, is a kind of pilgrimage site for those devoted to Japanese sword-fighting arts (kenjutsu).
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア - Tengu ABC-List.
Hinamaru Enkai 圓海 / 円海 of Haguro Mountain
? 塚原卜伝十二番勝負
? 塚原小太郎修験者円海と羽黒山 - Tsukahara Kotaro
. . . CLICK here for Photos : Tsukahara Kotaro 塚原小太郎 !
- quote -
the martial arts master Tsukahara Bokuden receives divine instruction in the art of fencing from a mysterious yamabushi (mountain priest) tengu named Enkai of Haguro Mountain.
print by 月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
- source : Mark Schumacher -
. Haguro San 羽黒山 . 羽黒出羽三山 Three mountains of Dewa .
塚原卜伝 by 石ノ森 章太郎
*****************************
HAIKU
Matsuo Basho
此松の実生せし代や神の秋
kono matsu no mibae seshi yo ya kami no aki
this old pine
sprouted in the age of gods -
autumn of the Gods
Kashima Kiko, Kashima Mairi, Kashima Mode 鹿島詣
Kashima Journal, Pilgrimage to Kashima Shrine
In 1687
He started off by boat from Basho-an on the 14th day of the 8th lunar month to see the full moon.
He visited temple Kashima Konpon-Ji 鹿島根本寺 and stayed with the priest Butchoo 仏頂和尚 Butcho (1643– 1715). Basho practised Zen with Master Butcho.
He came back home on the 25th.
quote
The impact of Zen Buddhism on Basho's haikai is a popular theme for Western writers. Basho's encounter with his Zen teacher, Butcho is estimated to have taken place around 1681 (Tenwa 1) a year after Basho moved to Fukagawa.
We may recall that just before the move he composed an important poem
kare eda ni karasu no tomari taru ya aki no kure
(On the withered branch/ A crow has alighted-/ Nightfall in Autumn. Tr DK).
This autumn poem is said to reflect the influence on him of the monk-poets of the Gozan Zenrin. He made the famous trip to Kashima, east of Edo, to visit Butcho, now an old friend, at the Nemoto-ji Temple in 1687 (Jokyo 4) and it was a year before this that he composed the verse
furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto.
. WKD : Karumi and Zen - Susumu Takiguchi .
. Travelling with Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 .
. Zen Master Butchoo, Butchō 仏頂和尚 Butcho and Temple Ungan-Ji .
(1643– 1715)
Even a sake ricewine is named after Basho ! Cheers !
. A visit to Mount Tsukuba 筑波山 .
Basho in Kashima, tr. by Ueda
source : books.google.co.jp
..........................................................................
Another hokku Basho wrote on his trip to Kashima
月はやし梢は雨を持ながら
tsuki hayashi kozue wa ame o mochinagara
fleeting moon
while rain clings
to the twigs
Tr. Haldane
Written at temple 根本寺 Konpon-Ji.
- Kashima Kikoo 鹿島紀行 - A Visit to the Kashima Shrine -
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
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白梅や香取鹿島を一日に
hakubai ya Natori Kashima o ichinichi ni
these white plum blossoms -
Natori, Kashima
visited in one day
Nomura Kishuu 野村喜舟 (1886 - 1983)
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晩稲よき鹿島のふれも噂かな
oshine yoki Kashima no fure mo uwasa kana
late rice plants -
the predictions from Kashima
are just some gossip
Takada Chooi 高田蝶衣 (1886. 1.30 - 1930. 9.23)
*****************************
Related words
***** . Nai no kami 地震神 God of Earthquakes
. jishin 地震 Legends about Earthquakes .
BACK : Top of this Saijiki
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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #katori #kashima -
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Katori Jingu Shrine, see below. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kashima Shrine (Kashima Jingu)
***** Location: Ibaraki
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Observance
*****************************
Explanation
Kashima Shrine 鹿島神宮 Kashima Jingu
This shrine is dedicated to the deity
Tekemikazuchi standing on a catfish
Takemikazuchi no mikoto (武甕槌大神)
Kashima Daijin (鹿島大神) "Great God at Kashima".
a patron of the martial arts.
In the precincts ther is a famous training hall (doojoo) for martial arts, especially sword fighting (kendoo 剣道).
The "Great God of Kashima" rode on a white deer from Kashima all the way to the Kasuga shrine in Nara as a divine messenger, and the deer became the symbol of Nara.
The Kasuga Deer Mandala tells the story.
Kashima Deer, Photo from Rob Geraghty
Look at more
. . .Japan Photos from Rob Geraghty
Thank you, Rob, for sharing your photos!
Rob lived in Kashima for quite a while in 2002.
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- quote -
The Katori Shrine (香取神宮 Katori Jingū)
The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 14, with a three-day Grand Festival held every 12 years.
The primary kami of Katori Shrine is Futsunushi (経津主神, Futsunushi-no-kami), the kami of swords and lightning, and a general of Amaterasu.
- - - - - History
The foundation of Katori Shrine predates the historical period. Per the Hitachi Fudoki, an ancient record and per shrine tradition, it was established in 643 BC, the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Jimmu. During this period, the Ō clan (多氏, Ō-shi) migrated from Higo Province in Kyushu, conquering local emishi tribes, and forming an alliance with the nearby Nakatomi clan, the progenitors of the Fujiwara clan at what is now Kashima Jingū.
In the mid-Heian period Engishiki records, it is ranked alongside Ise Jingū and Kashima Jingū as one of three shrines with the Jingū designation.
- source and more : wikipedia -
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kigo for the New Year
Kashima no kotobure 鹿島の事触 (かしまのことぶれ)
Kashima diviners, itinerant priests
..... kotobure 言触（ことぶれ）
36 people walk around the villages and shout the outcome of the divination at the shrine Kashima (鹿島神宮), which occured on January 4.
see below
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. . hakubasai, hakuba sai 白馬祭（はくばさい）
Festival of the White Horse
If you see a white horse during the New Year celebrations, you will live a long life and ward off evil for the coming year and stay healthy. Therefore shrines with a white horse make a parade for all to see the animal.
In Kashima, they parade seven white horses. If you pick up a small stone where the horses walked or have your hankerchief trodden on, this will bring your love to fulfillment.
On this day, white sweet ricewine (amazake) and porridge of seven herbs is also served.
Ema votive tablet from Katori shrine 香取神宮
. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .
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kigo for mid-spring
Kashima Saitoosai 鹿島祭頭祭 (かしまさいとうさい)
Kashima Saito-Sai Festival
March 9
The Saito Sai dates back more than 1200 years to the Nara Period (710 to 794). Soldiers called sakimori 防人 were sent off to do duty in far-away Kyushu. Before leaving, they gathered at Kashima Jingu to offer prayers for victory in battle and a safe journey. Many people paraded through the streets to see them off and wish them well. Lately this has become a wild parade through the city.
Now the festival is held to pray for a good harvest of the five crops, rice, wheat, beans, foxtail millet and egg millet. Officials in traditional garb with sashes to hold back the long sleeves in the five colors representing these crops parade through the street.
Others with long poles jump around a drummer, dance and sing the special festival song "Soranbushi ソーラン節". There are many wild groups of this kind, all in different colored robes.
. Reference
quote
The Legacy of Sakimori - the frontier guard conscripts
The term SAKIMORI first appeared in 645, and it is interesting to look at its etymology. Though the Japanese characters used to write it are now 防人, which is a compound difficult even for Japanese to read and literally means DEFENDING PEOPLE, the origin of the word as it PRONOUNCED comes from the characters 崎守 SAKI MORI, which means defenders of the capes, the fringes of the country, or 境守, SAKAIMORI, literally border protecters.
Another way of writing the word sakimori 先守, sheds further light on the intended purpose of this conscripted force as it means the pre- defenders, or the first line of defense, which is in fact what they would have been in case of an invasion. Their role would be to hold off the enemy long enough for a large army made up of soldiers from Western Japan to show up.
. . . The Sakimori system, which actually remained in operation for a period of 163 years ( until 826), imposed great hardships on the conscripted men and on their families ( which was why the system was eventually abolished, along with the fact that the fear of invasion also eventually faded away).
The Songs of The Sakimori - SAKIMORI NO UTA
made their way into the Manyoshu.
霰降り鹿島の神を祈りつつ
皇御軍士に我は来にしを
arare furi Kashima no kami o inoritsutsu
suberamikusa ni ware wa ki ni shi o
I have come, as a warrior for the Emperor,
to pray before the God of Kashima
source : blog.alientimes.org
arare furi 霰ふり hail falls
is a special word (makurakotoba) to denote the God of Kashima in the Manyoshu poetry.
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kigo for early autumn
Kashima matsuri 鹿島祭 (かしままつり)
Kashima Festival
Kashima goshinkoosai 鹿島御神幸祭（かしまごしんこうさい）
September 1 and 2
(it used to be in the seventh lunar month)
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observance kigo for the New Year
Hitachi obi no shinji 常陸帯の神事 (ひたちおびのしんじ)
Hitachi Belt Ceremony
Hitachi obi no matsuri 常陸帯の祭（ひたちおびのまつり）
Hitachi obi 常陸帯（ひたちおび）"Belt from Hitachi"
Kashima no obi 鹿島の帯（かしまのおび）"Belt from Kashima"
enmusubi no shinji 縁結び神事（えんむすびしんじ）
ceremony for finding a partner
On the 10th day of the first lunar month.
It is customary for a young girl to present a girdle to the Gods of Kashima and wish for a good partner in life. They would write the name of their future husband on the belt and hope for the Deities to tie the knot for them.
This dates back to Emperess Jingu Kogo and her belt during pregnancy.
. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .
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quote
Kashima Shinko 鹿島信仰
It is possible to think of Kashima faith as the sect based at Kashima Jingū in Kashima-machi, Ibaraki Prefecture, but it can broadly be divided into beliefs related to water, "tutelary of roads" (sae no kami 障の神（さえのかみ）), and Kashima shrines. Many regions and shrines bear the name "Kashima," and since these are usually found in river, stream, lake, or swamp areas, we can assume that the origins of Kashima faith are profoundly connected with water.
Images of sae no kami are called Kashima dolls, straw dolls, Shōkisama, and dōsojin, among other names. Most of these images are very large, made of straw, and are characterized by their exposed sexual organs. They protected village borders from the invasion of "plague kami" (ekishin) and were prayed to in order to ensure safety or prosperity. In some regions, during the Kashima Festival dolls are placed in "Kashima boats" and sent out to sea in order to send ekishin away.
According to the Hitachi no kuni fudoki, the "enshrined kami" (saijin) at Kashima Jingū in Kashimamachi, Ibaraki Prefecture is "Kashimanoama no ōkami," but there are many documents, including the Kojiki, which record the saijin as Takemikadsuchi no kami. The latter is worshipped at the first shrine within Kasuga Taisha, and was exalted to a "kami of the nation" (kokkashin) when the imperial court expanded into the Tōgoku region.
In the Heian Period, the Jinmyōchō section of the Engishiki records that "spirit emanations" (bunrei) of the Kashima kami and "honorable child kami" (mikogami) were enshrined in Mutsu no kuni, indicating that the cult may have spread in connection with the government’s expansion into the Tōhoku area.
Even into the early modern period, the distribution of Kashima emblems (shinsatsu) by itinerant Kashima priests called kotobure was a means of spreading the Kashima cult among the common people. The popularity of the "three-shrine pilgrimage" that included Katori, Kashima and Ikisu was the result of the development of inland waterway transport on the Tonegawa and other rivers, and is also related to the growing economic status of the Edo populace.
The ritual of "hitachiobi 常陸帯 " on January 14 at Kashima Shrine became widely known, being mentioned in The Tale of Genji and in a yōkyoku (Noh script).
From the medieval period, the virtues of Kashima were "preached" (shōdō ) by traveling monks. This can be inferred by the inclusion of the chapters "Kashima Daimyōjin" and "Kasuga Daimyōjin no koto" in the Shintoshū. The Hachimangū dōkun (also read dōkin) and various Hachiman "origin legends" (engi) include a story where the Kashima kami is equated with Azumi no isora and a legend about Shioyaki Bunta. Shioyaki Bunta is also the protagonist of the otogi-zōshi tale "Bunshō sōshi," but the Hachiman legend comes from a separate tradition. These stories spread through the preaching of low-ranking religious leaders and Zenkōji hijiri.
The "Kashima odori" performed in the western area of Sagami Bay involved dancing while dressed up as Kashima no kotobure, who would travel around distributing takusen of good or bad fortune and amulets. The dance may have originated at Kashima Shrine. There is also a legend about a "keystone" (kaname ishi) within the shrine precincts that the kami of Kashima uses to restrain a tremendous fish under the earth, whose movement causes earthquakes.
Thus, Kashima is also famous for its cult of warding off earthquakes.
source : Nogami Takahiro / Kokugakuin University.
常陸国鹿島神社 Hitachi no Kuni, Kashima Jinja
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Worldwide use
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Things found on the way
米倉鹿嶋神社 献饌行事 Yonekura-kashima-jinja Kensen-gyouji
The Kensen Ritual at Yonekura Kashima Shrine
The Kensen Ritual is performed on September 9 to 10 every year at Kashima Shrine in the Yonekura area in Osaki City, the rice producing center of Miyagi Prefecture, where famous rice brands such as Sasanishiki and Hitomebore were born.
Kensen is a Shinto ritual of offering food to the god.
It is performed before a shrine priest offers a prayer. As the oldest and most historic shrine in Osaki City, this ritual had been performed by the descendants of the vassals of the Osaki clan (a branch of the Ashikaga clan, who were descended from Seiwa Genji) until the end of World War II. Today it is performed by the hands of local people.
On the first day, the first rice ear of the season is offered to the god in appreciation for a rich harvest. Then, it is followed by other rites and ends with Naorai (banquet), in which holy sake wine and votive offerings are served to the participants. The finale of the festival is the parade of Mikoshi performed on the second day. This solemn ritual is prefecturally designated as an intangible folk cultural property (manners and customs).
Kashima Castle
was located in Shiroyama, Kashima City, Ibaraki Pref. It was built by Kashima Masamiki in the Kamakura period (1192-1333). The Kashima clan was appointed as Sodaigyoji-shoku (general director of rituals) in 1368. Since then the family was called by this title and gained prosperity.
Kashima Shrine Festivals and Kagura Dance
source : nipponkichi.jp
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kashima Torii 鹿島鳥居 Kashima Shrine Gate
a type of 神明鳥居 Shinmei torii, a rather simple form without an incline or secondary lintel. The topmost lintel is round and longer than the two pillars.
Another sample is at Katori Jinguu 香取神宮.
. Torii 鳥居
The Gate of a Shinto Shrine
Katori Shrine sells this :
. amulet against sainan 災難除守 misfortune and disaster .
.................................................................................
. Anzan, Talismans for easy delivery
One very famous historical Anzan Talisman in the shape of a crystal pearl was used by Fujiwara no Ishii 藤原威子 and then donated in 1034 to Kashima Shrine, later it was also used by Emperess Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 Jinguu Koogoo.
.................................................................................
source : 20century.blog2 地震錦絵
. Earthquake myths about Kashima
A giant catfish (namazu) lived in mud beneath the earth. The catfish liked to play pranks and could only be restrained by Kashima, a deity who protected the Japanese people from earthquakes. So long as Kashima kept a mighty rock with magical powers over the catfish, the earth was still. But when he relaxed his guard, the catfish thrashed about, causing earthquakes.
.................................................................................
. Yamaoka Tesshu 山岡鉄舟
His father was a retainer of the Tokugawa Government and his mother was the daughter of a Shinto priest from Kashima Shrine.
Tsukahara Bokuden 塚原卜伝
(1489 - March 6, 1571)
塚原小太郎勝義 Tsukahara Kotaro Yoshikatsu
a famous swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was widely regarded as a kensei (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of fencing, and served as an instructor of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor Tomonori Kitabatake.
... He later systematized the teaching of the Kashima area's local martial arts, including such approaches to combat as Kashima no tachi and Ichi no tachi. After allegedly receiving a divine inspiration from Takemikazuchi no kami, the deity of Kashima Shrine, he named his martial system as Kashima Shintō-ryū. He also, for a brief period, called his system Mutekatsu-ryū ("winning without hands").
He died of natural causes in 1571. His grave, in Suka, Japan where Baikouji once stood, is a kind of pilgrimage site for those devoted to Japanese sword-fighting arts (kenjutsu).
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア - Tengu ABC-List.
Hinamaru Enkai 圓海 / 円海 of Haguro Mountain
? 塚原卜伝十二番勝負
? 塚原小太郎修験者円海と羽黒山 - Tsukahara Kotaro
. . . CLICK here for Photos : Tsukahara Kotaro 塚原小太郎 !
- quote -
the martial arts master Tsukahara Bokuden receives divine instruction in the art of fencing from a mysterious yamabushi (mountain priest) tengu named Enkai of Haguro Mountain.
print by 月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
- source : Mark Schumacher -
. Haguro San 羽黒山 . 羽黒出羽三山 Three mountains of Dewa .
塚原卜伝 by 石ノ森 章太郎
*****************************
HAIKU
Matsuo Basho
此松の実生せし代や神の秋
kono matsu no mibae seshi yo ya kami no aki
this old pine
sprouted in the age of gods -
autumn of the Gods
Kashima Kiko, Kashima Mairi, Kashima Mode 鹿島詣
Kashima Journal, Pilgrimage to Kashima Shrine
In 1687
He started off by boat from Basho-an on the 14th day of the 8th lunar month to see the full moon.
He visited temple Kashima Konpon-Ji 鹿島根本寺 and stayed with the priest Butchoo 仏頂和尚 Butcho (1643– 1715). Basho practised Zen with Master Butcho.
He came back home on the 25th.
quote
The impact of Zen Buddhism on Basho's haikai is a popular theme for Western writers. Basho's encounter with his Zen teacher, Butcho is estimated to have taken place around 1681 (Tenwa 1) a year after Basho moved to Fukagawa.
We may recall that just before the move he composed an important poem
kare eda ni karasu no tomari taru ya aki no kure
(On the withered branch/ A crow has alighted-/ Nightfall in Autumn. Tr DK).
This autumn poem is said to reflect the influence on him of the monk-poets of the Gozan Zenrin. He made the famous trip to Kashima, east of Edo, to visit Butcho, now an old friend, at the Nemoto-ji Temple in 1687 (Jokyo 4) and it was a year before this that he composed the verse
furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto.
. WKD : Karumi and Zen - Susumu Takiguchi .
. Travelling with Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 .
. Zen Master Butchoo, Butchō 仏頂和尚 Butcho and Temple Ungan-Ji .
(1643– 1715)
Even a sake ricewine is named after Basho ! Cheers !
. A visit to Mount Tsukuba 筑波山 .
Basho in Kashima, tr. by Ueda
source : books.google.co.jp
..........................................................................
Another hokku Basho wrote on his trip to Kashima
月はやし梢は雨を持ながら
tsuki hayashi kozue wa ame o mochinagara
fleeting moon
while rain clings
to the twigs
Tr. Haldane
Written at temple 根本寺 Konpon-Ji.
- Kashima Kikoo 鹿島紀行 - A Visit to the Kashima Shrine -
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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白梅や香取鹿島を一日に
hakubai ya Natori Kashima o ichinichi ni
these white plum blossoms -
Natori, Kashima
visited in one day
Nomura Kishuu 野村喜舟 (1886 - 1983)
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
晩稲よき鹿島のふれも噂かな
oshine yoki Kashima no fure mo uwasa kana
late rice plants -
the predictions from Kashima
are just some gossip
Takada Chooi 高田蝶衣 (1886. 1.30 - 1930. 9.23)
*****************************
Related words
***** . Nai no kami 地震神 God of Earthquakes
. jishin 地震 Legends about Earthquakes .
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1/03/2010
Hachiman Shrines Festivals
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Hachiman Shrines and their festivals
***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Variuos, see below
***** Category: Observance
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Explanation
The Warrior Deity Hachiman 八幡神, deifiction of Emperor Oojin 応神天皇 Ojin,
is quite popular in Japan and there are many shrines in his name. Another reading of the Chinese characters is YAHATA or YAWATA.
僧形八幡神坐像 東大寺八幡殿蔵
Hachiman as a monk, soogyoo Hachiman
Temple Todai-Ji, Hachiman Hall
Today there are approximately 30,000 Hachimangū shrines nationwide, with the head shrine at
Usa Hachimangū 宇佐八幡宮 Usa Hachimangu in Ōita.
Read the details HERE
. Hachiman and the Hachimangu Shrines
Mark Schumacher
The oldest Hachiman Shrine in Japan
. Konda Hachimanguu 誉田八幡宮 / 譽田八幡宮 Konda Hachiman . Habikino, Osaka 大阪府羽曳野市誉田三丁目2-8
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I lived close to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura and practised archery (kyudo) in the training hall there for many years.
The annual Yabusame horseback riding and shooting was one of the most impressive events I have seen in Japan.
The dove (hato) in the shrine name board as hachi 八 .
The dove is the messenger of Emperor Ojin.
There are many doves kept in the shrine compound.
. hato 鳩 dove, pidgeon, Taube - in art and amulet .
. Legends about Hachiman Shrines 八幡宮 / 八幡神社 .
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Usa Hachimangu, Oita 宇佐八幡宮
quote
The faith of Hachiman began at Usa Hachimangū and the location of this shrine and five other Hachiman shrines (gosho betsugū) in the Kyūshū area (the five shrines are Chikuzen's Daibu Hachiman, Hizen's Chiriku Hachiman, Higo's Fujisaki Hachiman, Satsuma's Nitta Jinja, and Ōsumi's Shō Hachimangū) show that the faith developed in the Kyushu area in ancient times.
When the temple Tōdaiji's Great Buddha was constructed in the Nara period, the "shrine priestess" (negini) of Usa, Ōga no Ason Morime, traveled to the capital and received a "message" (takusen) from Hachiman saying that the kami would assist in the sculpture's construction, thus introducing the cult of Hachiman to the center of Japan. Being located close to the continent, Hachimangū was at the forefront for receiving cultural influences from there and because of this, "kami and Buddha syncretism" (shinbutsu shūgū) developed there quite early.
Temples related to Hachiman existed in the Hakuhō Period and these were consolidated into the "shrine temple complex" (jingūji) Miroku Temple, which was established in 725. The journey of Hachiman to the capital and the oracle (takusen) accelerated the tide of shinbutsu shūgō syncretism in the central regions. In 781 the imperial court awarded the kami the "kami title" (shingō) "Daibosatsu" (Gokoku reigen iriki jintsū daibosatsu) and images of Hachiman were produced depicting him as a monk. From this, we can see that compared to other shrines, the cult of Hachiman had particularly strong shinbutsu shūgō syncretic qualities. Thus there are many examples of Hachiman shrines "established" (kanjō) as the guardian shrines (chinjusha) of such temples as Daianji, Tōdaiji, Yakushiji, and Tōji.
Likewise, the Hōjō-e festival at Hachimangū originates from a Buddhist ritual of releasing living animals that is based on Buddhist prohibitions against killing.
In 720 there was an uprising of the Hayato people from the regions of Ōsumi and Hyūga and many Hayato people were killed during its suppression. It is said that Usa-Hachiman was established in order to expiate the sins of killing incurred during this suppression. This story is told at Hachiman shrines in various regions. In the late Nara Period, Wake no Kiyomaro received a takusen from Hachiman which thwarted the monk Dōkyō's scheme to usurp the throne. This incident strengthened Hachiman's character as a guardian kami of the imperial house.
In 860 according to the activities of the monk Gyōkyō of Daianji, an emanation of Hachiman was brought from Usa and established (kanjō) as the shrine Iwashimizu Hachimangū. This shrine became the focal point for the cult of Hachiman in the capital. The shrine was called Iwashimizu Hachimangū Gokokuji, and was structured as a "shrine temple system" (miyaderasei) in which "shrine monks" (shasō) such as kengyō or bettō took control of the shrine's management. Shinbutsu shūgō developed further at the shrine and the "original Buddha" (honji butsu) assigned to the kami Hachiman was the Buddha Amida (Amitābha).
Later Iwashimizu was included in the "twenty-two shrines" (nijūnisha) and was ranked just below Ise Jingū. At the end of the eleventh century Hachiman and Ise were called the "Two Imperial Mausoleums" (nisho sōbyō)and Hachiman attained the status of imperial ancestral kami. Based on this status, Hachiman also came to be regarded as the "clan kami" (ujigami) of the Genji clan. Thus Minamoto no Yoshiie had his coming of age ceremony (genpuku) at Iwashimizu Hachimangū and called himself Hachiman Tarō.
Hachiman's character as the ujigami of the Sewa emperor lineage Genji clan come to the forefront and at the end of the Heian Period the shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangū was "established" (kanjō) in Kamakura. In the medieval period, Hachiman developed from the Genji clan's ujigami into the guardian kami of the warrior class, and many Hachiman shrines were established (kanjō) on estates (shōen) in various regions as the "tutelary guardian of those areas" (chinjugami).
source : Satō Masato, Kokugiakuin University, 2007
. Yusuhara Hachiman-gū 柞原八幡宮 Yusuhara Hachimangu .
Oita 大分県, Hamanoichi (Hama no Ichi) 浜の市
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A Hachiman shrine (八幡神社 Hachiman Jinja, also Hachiman-gū (八幡宮))
is a Shinto shrine dedicated to kami Hachiman.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !
< . Minamoto no Yoshiie Hachimantaro 源八幡太郎義家 .
(1039 – 4 August 1106)
- - - - - and his wife Akashi hime 明石姫
. Hidaka Jinja 日高神社 Hidaka Shrine .
- and Hachimantaro in Mizusawa, Iwate
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kigo for the New Year
Tomo Hachiman no on yumi shinji
鞆八幡の御弓神事 (ともはちまんのおゆみしんじ)
bow ritual at Tomo Hachiman
鞆八幡神社（沼名前神社）, Numakuma Jinja 沼名前神社お弓神事
Fukuyama, Hiroshima prefecture
This festival dates back in legend, when emperess Jingu made an offering of a tomo 鞆wrist cover for archery to this shrine. It is now held as a new year ceremony on February 15 to pray for avoidance of evil and a peaceful year.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
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Tsurugaoka Hachimanguu no go-han itadaki
鶴岡八幡宮御璽頂き (つるがおかはちまんぐうのごはんいただき)
getting a seal at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Kamakura
鶴岡八幡宮の御璽頂き
January 1 till 5、the main is on January 3.
Nowadays it is also called Gohan Gyooji 御判行事
The official new "seal of the deity" is brought to the stamp office in the shrine compounds. The seal is held to the parts of the believers that hurt and they will be healed from their suffering.
A seal from the Bull deity Go-O 牛王宝印 is stamped on paper, put on bamboo skewers and given to the people. This ritual dates back to the Kamakura period, when the samurai prayed for good fortune in the coming year.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, see below.
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hatsugatsuo no shinku 初鰹神供 (はつがつおのしんく)
offering first katsuo bonito
During the Edo period, Kamakura was famous for the first bonito to be fished at the beaches of the inlay. The very first ones were offered at Hachimangu with prayers for a good fishing season.
This was usually done in January or february.
In newer years, the first fish of the year landing on the beach of Kamakura was called "ofuri おふり" and offered to the deities.
. first bonito, hatsu gatsuo, hatsugatsuo 初鰹 (はつがつお) .
kigo for early summer
鎌倉を生きて出でけん初鰹
Kamakura o ikite ideken hatsu-gatsuo
you made it
past Kamakura alive -
first Katsuo bonito
Written in 元禄5年, Basho age 49
Basho was well aware of the customs of Edo, where the first Katsuo was an expensive delicacy unknown in his homeland, Iga.
The bonito from Kamakura was then carried to Edo as a present to the Shogun.
quote
In 1672, prior to taking his formal penname, Basho arrived in Edo and lived near the Nihonbashi Uogashi for a time.
The first bonito of the year
Amazingly fresh
They would have been alive when they left Kamakura
This is a haiku poem in which Basho describes the first bonito catches of the year. Basho lived in the residence of Sugiyama Sanpu ...
. Sugiyama Sanpu 杉山杉風 (Sampu) .
Haiku about place names by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
. WKD : Kamakura 鎌倉 a haiku town .
Another hokku by Kikaku about the expensive first Bonito :
on the chopping board
a golden thaler -
first bonito
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Yahata mairi 八幡参（やはたまいり）
Visiting Yahata shrine
Yakujin mairi 厄神詣 (やくじんまいり) Visiting the Yakujin deity
yakujin is an evil deity that brings bad luck and diseases. He has to be appeased at the beginning of the year.
Yakuyoke 厄除けの神 is a god deity like Hachiman, who prevents bad luck.
yakumairi, yaku mairi 厄参（やくまいり）, yakumoode 厄詣（やくもうで）
Yahata ekijin moode 八幡厄神詣（やはたえきじんもうで）
Yahata miyage 八幡土産（やはたみやげ） souvenirs from Yahata
Yahatagoi, yahata koi八幡鯉（やはたごい） carp from Yahata
Yakujinsai 厄神祭（やくじんさい）Festival of the Yakujin
Aoyama matsuri 青山祭（あおやままつり）Aoyama festival
(another name for the Otokoyama)
On January 28 people went to Iwashimizu Hachimangu in Kyoto (see below) to pray for good fortunes in the coming year, at a small shrine in the Otokoyama mountain. There a sacres space was erected between a bamboo fence (himorogi 神籬）), the south side was open. People threw their talismans from the old year in and the whole was later burned.
As a "souvenir", people took home a New Year Arrow (hamaya) and a carp or dove made from paper, which they stuck into their hair.
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kigo for Late Summer
Hachiman yama 八幡山（はちまんやま）
Hachiman float
during the Gion Festival 祗園会 (ぎおんえ)
Kyoto
Reference : Gion Festival Kyoto
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kigo for Early Autumn
Fukagawa Hachiman matsuri
深川八幡祭（ふかがわはちまんまつり）
Hachiman festival at Fukagawa, Tokyo
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Fukagawa matsuri 深川祭 ふかがわまつり Fukagawa festival
Tomioka matsuri 富岡祭（とみおかまつり）Tomioka festival
. WKD : Fukagawa Matsuri Festival Haiku .
Tomioka Hachiman-gu 富岡八幡宮 and
Fukagawa Fudo Do (Fudoo Doo) 深川不動堂
Fishing amulet for a cood catch
. Tomioka Hachimangu, Tokyo 富岡八幡宮 .
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kigo for Mid-Autumn
Hachiman Matsuri八幡祭（はちまんまつり）
Hachiman Festival
at Shrine Iwashimizu Jinja
hoojoo-e 放生会（ほうじょうえ）
Buddhist ritual of releasing living animals
Yahata hoojoo-e 八幡放生会 (やはたほうじょうえ)
Iwashimizu matsuri 石清水祭（いわしみずまつり）
Iwashimizu Festival
Otokoyama matsuri 男山祭（おとこやままつり）
Festival at Otokoyama
chuushuusai 仲秋祭（ちゅうしゅうさい）mid-autumn festival
nansai 南祭（なんさい）"festival in the South" (of Kyoto)
hoojoogawa 放生川（ほうじょうがわ） river for releasing fish
hanachidori 放ち鳥（はなちどり）releasing birds
hanachigame 放ち亀（はなちがめ）releasing turtles
the name "South Festival" contrasts with the annual festival at shrine Kamo Jinja in the north of Kyoto.
. kita no matsuri 北祭（きたのまつり）"festival in the North"
quote
The Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (石清水八幡宮) is a Shinto shrine in the city of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture.
The shrine's Heian period connections with the Kyoto and the Imperial family date from its founding in 859 (Jōgan 1) when construction on its earliest structures commenced. Shrine tradition explains that Emperor Seiwa ordered the shrine to be built in obeisance to an oracle in which Hachiman expressed the desire to be near to Kyoto to watch over the city and the Imperial House of Japan. This vision was reported by a Buddhist monk, Gyōkyō, who had a second vision which led to selecting the Otokoyama location where the shrine now stands.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
Rikyu - Hachimangu was originally named
"Iwashimizu (=spring water)-Hachimangu".
. Rikyu Hachimangu Shrine in Oyamazaki-cho .
and the egoma oil connection 荏胡麻油
. Hojo-E 放生会 releasing life animals
and the Heart Pond 心の池 .
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. Hakozaki in Fukuoka 福岡県福岡市東区箱崎 .
Hakozaki matsuri 筥崎祭 (はこざきまつり) Hakozaki festival
Hakozaki hoojoo e 筥崎放生会（はこざきほうじょうえ）
Hakozaki Hachimanguu 福岡筥崎八幡宮 Hachimangu shrine in Fukuoka
September 12 - 18
It is one of the three great festivals in Fukuoka.
Hakozaki Shrine was founded in 923, with the transfer of the spirit of the kami Hachiman from Daibu Hachiman Shrine in what is Honami Commandry, Chikuzen Province in Kyūshū.
The annual Tamaseseri Festival (January 3) and the
Hojoya Festival (September 12–18) attract many to visit the shrine.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the shrine !
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Usa matsuri 宇佐祭（うさまつり） Usa festival
Usa hoojoo e 宇佐放生会 (うさほうじょうえ)
at Usa Hachimangu 宇佐八幡宮 in Oita.
To appease the souls of warriours, now shells and clams are released into the sea.
Because of its mixed religious ancestry, one of the important festivals at the shrine is the hōjō-e (放生会), originally a Buddhist ceremony in which captive birds and fish are released.
The ceremony is accompanied by sacred kagura dances meant to commemorate the souls of fish killed by fishermen during the previous year. This syncretic rite fusing Buddhism and Shinto, now performed in many shrines all over the country, took first place here.
Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman-jin (the tutelary god of warriors), is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him; and the first and earliest of these was at Usa in the early 8th century. The Usa jingū 宇佐神宮 has long been the recipient of Imperial patronage; and its prestige is considered second only to that of Ise.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
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Yabusame 流鏑馬
Tsurugaoka Hachiman matsuri
鶴岡八幡祭（つるがおかはちまんまつり）
Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachiman shrine
Kamakura
Tsurugaoka matsuri 鶴岡祭 つるがおかまつり
Kamakura Hachiman matsuri
鎌倉八幡祭（かまくらはちまんまつり）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
yabusame 流鏑馬（やぶさめ）archery on horseback
quote
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū (鶴岡八幡宮) is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura.
This shrine, which used to be also a Buddhist temple and far bigger than today, was originally built in 1063 in Zaimokuza where tiny Moto Hachiman now stands, and dedicated to the Emperor Ōjin, (deified with the name Hachiman, the god of war), his mother Empress Jingu and his wife Hime-gami. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, moved it to its present location in 1191 and invited Hachiman (from Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine) to reside in the new location to protect his government.
The present location was carefully chosen as the most propitious after consulting a diviner because it had a mountain to the north (the Hokuzan (北山)), a river to the east (the Namerikawa 滑川), a great road to the west (the Kotō Kaidō (古東街道)) and was open to the south (on Sagami Bay).
There are a number of sub-shrines on the site, the most important of which are the Junior Shrine (Wakamiya (鶴岡八幡宮若宮（下宮)) at the bottom, and the Senior Shrine (Hongū (本宮)) 61 steps above. The present Senior Shrine building was constructed in 1828 by Tokugawa Ienari, the 11th Tokugawa shogun.
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is now just a Shinto shrine but, for the almost 700 years from its foundation until the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order (神仏判然令) of 1868, its name was Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū-ji (鶴岡八幡宮寺) and it was also a Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in Kamakura.
Also in the compounds are
Maiden (舞殿) Dance Hall
Shirahata Jinja (白旗神社) shrine
Maruyama Inari sha (丸山稲荷社) shrine
Hataage Benzaiten Shrine (旗上弁財天社) Hata-age
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
The great Gingko Tree
. Wakamiya Hachimangu 若宮八幡宮 Shrines list .
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kigo for late Autumn
. Nada Fighting Festival (Nada no Kenka Matsuri)
灘のけんか祭り
at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Himeji
姫路 松原八幡神社
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Worldwide use
Hachiman Daibosatsu 八幡大菩薩
Großer Bodhisattva Hachiman
- quote -
Hachiman Project -
Heidelberg University Germany
The Hachiman Digital Handscrolls Project (HDH) is a pilot study to enhance digital presentations of movable image-and-text formats. The innovative open source system HyperImage is the pivotal tool employed to realize the aims of the project.
HDH
offers an innovative access to seven digitized Japanese illuminated hand scrolls ranging from the 14th to the 19th century. Each version tells the same story: The first part covers the prehistoric pregnant Empress Jingû and her alleged conquest of the Korean kingdoms by help of indigenous deities. This colorful myth is followed by the empress’s birth of the future Emperor Ôjin, and his manifestation as the Hachiman deity. Hachiman’s miraculous appearances and oracles as well as the foundation tales of the most famous Hachiman shrines cover the second part of the scrolls. The title of the scrolls reflects the gist of the scrolls,
“Karmic Origins of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.”
- source : uni-heidelberg.de -
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Things found in the Daruma Museum
Mikoshi palanquin 神輿
The possible origin of "mikoshi" is said to be found in the Nara Period, when the "kami" of the Hachiman Shrine in Usa was invited on a purple palanquin to Nara for the constructin of the "Daibutsu" Great Statue of Budda.
Matsuri : Festivals in Japan
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Yakushi-Ji temple, Nara
The approach to Yakushiji is along a winding path that passes the
Yasumigaoka Hachimangu 休岡八幡宮(やすみがおか はちまんぐう).
This building was constructed in 1603 and is still used to celebrate the Hachiman Festival on September 15th. If you visit at this time, you may be lucky enough to see the local children's sumo competition.
It is the shrine dedicated to Hachiman, here as a protector deity of Yakushiji, founded around 889, with its present structures from 1603.
Temple Yakushi-Ji Nara
法相宗大本山薬師寺
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The Deity for tuesday, kayoosei 火曜星（かようせい)
Hachiman Daibosatsu 八幡大菩薩） （六白金星）
and the Nine Stars Crest ... 九曜紋 ... Kuyoo Mon
. . . CLICK here for Photos of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman !
. Fuuji Hachimangu 風治八幡宮 Fuji Hachimangu .
Fukuoka
Kawagoe Hachimangu 川越八幡宮
..... Sumo Inari Shrine 相撲稲荷
Koo Hachimangu and the Shagiri festival 鴻八幡宮例大祭（しゃぎり
Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture
Hakodate Hachiman Shrine in Yachigashiracho
. Isaniwa Jinja 伊佐爾波神社 - Matsuyama .
Yuzuki Hachiman 湯月八幡 or Dogo Hachiman 道後八幡
Kitamuki Hachiman Shrine 北向八幡宮 Kobe city
Kotozaki Hachimangu 琴崎八幡宮
山口県宇部市上宇部大小路 Yamaguchi, Ube town
. Nishino Jinja 西野神社 Shrine in Sapporo .
Hondawake no mikoto 譽田別命 Homudawake
. Oosaki Hachimangu 大崎八幡宮 Osaki Hachiman Shrine .
Sendai
The Tamukeyama Shrine became the first branch of the Hachiman shrine from Usa.
Tamukeyama Hachiman Gu 手向山八幡宮
Yoshioka Hachiman Jinja 吉岡八幡神社 Miyagi
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When the legendary Empress Jinguu Koogoo (Jingu Kogo) stayed at the Hot Spring Doogo in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku on her way to the Korean battlefield, she realized that she was pregnant.
To pray for the safe delivery and healthy upbringing of her child, later to become the Emperor Oojin, she had a doll made and offered it to the local Gods. This used to be called the "Roly-poly Doll of Doogo" (Doogo no Okiagari, Dogo no Okiagari). First it was made of wood but later became a papermachee doll. In the last days of February at the Spring Festival of the Matsuyama Shrine and the Iyo Hiko-no-Mikoto Shrine this doll has been sold since more than 200 years ago. It is now a talisman for easy delivery and the healthy upbringing of children and getting well after a disease.
Princess Daruma of Matsuyama
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In all shrineｓd dedicated to Hachiman the doves (pidgeons) are kept as sacred animals messengers of the deity.
. hatobue 鳩笛 pidgeon whistle, dove flute .
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komabato, koma no hato 狛鳩 guardian doves
CLICK for more photos!
Miyake Hachimanguu 三宅八幡宮 Miyake Hachimangu Shrine - Kyoto
The Miyakehachiman Shrine was founded in the reign of Empress Suiko by the envoy to China, Ono no Imoko 小野妹子, who was ill on the trip and got healed by praying to Hachiman.
This shrine is also known as 'Mushihachiman'. It is believed that child's bad health is healed.
- reference -
. koma... 狛 shrine guardian animals .
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yakujin 厄神（やくじん）
"deity of preventing bad luck"
or
"deity to bring bad luck"
Yakujin Myoo-Oo 厄神明王
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
The deities Aizen Myo-O and Fudo-O in one person as preventers of bad luck
愛染明王と不動明王
Mondo Yakujin 門戸厄神 Mondo the preventor of bad luck
Or an Aizen Myo-O with two faces 両頭愛染
Mondo Yakujin Tookooji
門戸厄神東光寺（もんどやくじん とうこうじ）
Temple Toko-Ji 東光寺 in Hyogo, Nishi no miya town.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Especially visitied on January 18 and 19 and the Star Festival on Feburary 3, when people in their "unlucky year 厄年" come to pray for protection.
. Aizen Myo-O 愛染明王
Deity to bring bad fortune and disease
. Yakubyoogami 疫病神
Deity to bring poverty 貧乏神 binboogami, bimboogami
. Yōka 八日様 Yoka Sama, the Honorable Day Eight .
rituals for the 厄神 Yakujin
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HAIKU
袴著や八幡宮の氏子だち
hakamagi ya Hachimanguu no ujiko tachi
they come clad in Hakama trousers -
all the parishioners
from Hachimangu
. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 visiting shrines and temples .
. ujiko 氏子 local worshiper, parishioner .
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城山の八幡祭風強し
shiroyama no Hachiman-sai kaze tsuyoshi
at the castle mountain
during the Hachiman festival
the wind is strong
Minagawa Bansui 皆川盤水
At Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine
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Related words
. KAMAKURA - a Haiku Town
. Sacred Animals and Amulets .
***** SAIJIKI – OBSERVANCES
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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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Hachiman Shrines and their festivals
***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Variuos, see below
***** Category: Observance
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Explanation
The Warrior Deity Hachiman 八幡神, deifiction of Emperor Oojin 応神天皇 Ojin,
is quite popular in Japan and there are many shrines in his name. Another reading of the Chinese characters is YAHATA or YAWATA.
僧形八幡神坐像 東大寺八幡殿蔵
Hachiman as a monk, soogyoo Hachiman
Temple Todai-Ji, Hachiman Hall
Today there are approximately 30,000 Hachimangū shrines nationwide, with the head shrine at
Usa Hachimangū 宇佐八幡宮 Usa Hachimangu in Ōita.
Read the details HERE
. Hachiman and the Hachimangu Shrines
Mark Schumacher
The oldest Hachiman Shrine in Japan
. Konda Hachimanguu 誉田八幡宮 / 譽田八幡宮 Konda Hachiman . Habikino, Osaka 大阪府羽曳野市誉田三丁目2-8
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I lived close to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura and practised archery (kyudo) in the training hall there for many years.
The annual Yabusame horseback riding and shooting was one of the most impressive events I have seen in Japan.
The dove (hato) in the shrine name board as hachi 八 .
The dove is the messenger of Emperor Ojin.
There are many doves kept in the shrine compound.
. hato 鳩 dove, pidgeon, Taube - in art and amulet .
. Legends about Hachiman Shrines 八幡宮 / 八幡神社 .
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Usa Hachimangu, Oita 宇佐八幡宮
quote
The faith of Hachiman began at Usa Hachimangū and the location of this shrine and five other Hachiman shrines (gosho betsugū) in the Kyūshū area (the five shrines are Chikuzen's Daibu Hachiman, Hizen's Chiriku Hachiman, Higo's Fujisaki Hachiman, Satsuma's Nitta Jinja, and Ōsumi's Shō Hachimangū) show that the faith developed in the Kyushu area in ancient times.
When the temple Tōdaiji's Great Buddha was constructed in the Nara period, the "shrine priestess" (negini) of Usa, Ōga no Ason Morime, traveled to the capital and received a "message" (takusen) from Hachiman saying that the kami would assist in the sculpture's construction, thus introducing the cult of Hachiman to the center of Japan. Being located close to the continent, Hachimangū was at the forefront for receiving cultural influences from there and because of this, "kami and Buddha syncretism" (shinbutsu shūgū) developed there quite early.
Temples related to Hachiman existed in the Hakuhō Period and these were consolidated into the "shrine temple complex" (jingūji) Miroku Temple, which was established in 725. The journey of Hachiman to the capital and the oracle (takusen) accelerated the tide of shinbutsu shūgō syncretism in the central regions. In 781 the imperial court awarded the kami the "kami title" (shingō) "Daibosatsu" (Gokoku reigen iriki jintsū daibosatsu) and images of Hachiman were produced depicting him as a monk. From this, we can see that compared to other shrines, the cult of Hachiman had particularly strong shinbutsu shūgō syncretic qualities. Thus there are many examples of Hachiman shrines "established" (kanjō) as the guardian shrines (chinjusha) of such temples as Daianji, Tōdaiji, Yakushiji, and Tōji.
Likewise, the Hōjō-e festival at Hachimangū originates from a Buddhist ritual of releasing living animals that is based on Buddhist prohibitions against killing.
In 720 there was an uprising of the Hayato people from the regions of Ōsumi and Hyūga and many Hayato people were killed during its suppression. It is said that Usa-Hachiman was established in order to expiate the sins of killing incurred during this suppression. This story is told at Hachiman shrines in various regions. In the late Nara Period, Wake no Kiyomaro received a takusen from Hachiman which thwarted the monk Dōkyō's scheme to usurp the throne. This incident strengthened Hachiman's character as a guardian kami of the imperial house.
In 860 according to the activities of the monk Gyōkyō of Daianji, an emanation of Hachiman was brought from Usa and established (kanjō) as the shrine Iwashimizu Hachimangū. This shrine became the focal point for the cult of Hachiman in the capital. The shrine was called Iwashimizu Hachimangū Gokokuji, and was structured as a "shrine temple system" (miyaderasei) in which "shrine monks" (shasō) such as kengyō or bettō took control of the shrine's management. Shinbutsu shūgō developed further at the shrine and the "original Buddha" (honji butsu) assigned to the kami Hachiman was the Buddha Amida (Amitābha).
Later Iwashimizu was included in the "twenty-two shrines" (nijūnisha) and was ranked just below Ise Jingū. At the end of the eleventh century Hachiman and Ise were called the "Two Imperial Mausoleums" (nisho sōbyō)and Hachiman attained the status of imperial ancestral kami. Based on this status, Hachiman also came to be regarded as the "clan kami" (ujigami) of the Genji clan. Thus Minamoto no Yoshiie had his coming of age ceremony (genpuku) at Iwashimizu Hachimangū and called himself Hachiman Tarō.
Hachiman's character as the ujigami of the Sewa emperor lineage Genji clan come to the forefront and at the end of the Heian Period the shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangū was "established" (kanjō) in Kamakura. In the medieval period, Hachiman developed from the Genji clan's ujigami into the guardian kami of the warrior class, and many Hachiman shrines were established (kanjō) on estates (shōen) in various regions as the "tutelary guardian of those areas" (chinjugami).
source : Satō Masato, Kokugiakuin University, 2007
. Yusuhara Hachiman-gū 柞原八幡宮 Yusuhara Hachimangu .
Oita 大分県, Hamanoichi (Hama no Ichi) 浜の市
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A Hachiman shrine (八幡神社 Hachiman Jinja, also Hachiman-gū (八幡宮))
is a Shinto shrine dedicated to kami Hachiman.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !
< . Minamoto no Yoshiie Hachimantaro 源八幡太郎義家 .
(1039 – 4 August 1106)
- - - - - and his wife Akashi hime 明石姫
. Hidaka Jinja 日高神社 Hidaka Shrine .
- and Hachimantaro in Mizusawa, Iwate
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kigo for the New Year
Tomo Hachiman no on yumi shinji
鞆八幡の御弓神事 (ともはちまんのおゆみしんじ)
bow ritual at Tomo Hachiman
鞆八幡神社（沼名前神社）, Numakuma Jinja 沼名前神社お弓神事
Fukuyama, Hiroshima prefecture
This festival dates back in legend, when emperess Jingu made an offering of a tomo 鞆wrist cover for archery to this shrine. It is now held as a new year ceremony on February 15 to pray for avoidance of evil and a peaceful year.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
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Tsurugaoka Hachimanguu no go-han itadaki
鶴岡八幡宮御璽頂き (つるがおかはちまんぐうのごはんいただき)
getting a seal at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Kamakura
鶴岡八幡宮の御璽頂き
January 1 till 5、the main is on January 3.
Nowadays it is also called Gohan Gyooji 御判行事
The official new "seal of the deity" is brought to the stamp office in the shrine compounds. The seal is held to the parts of the believers that hurt and they will be healed from their suffering.
A seal from the Bull deity Go-O 牛王宝印 is stamped on paper, put on bamboo skewers and given to the people. This ritual dates back to the Kamakura period, when the samurai prayed for good fortune in the coming year.Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, see below.
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hatsugatsuo no shinku 初鰹神供 (はつがつおのしんく)
offering first katsuo bonito
During the Edo period, Kamakura was famous for the first bonito to be fished at the beaches of the inlay. The very first ones were offered at Hachimangu with prayers for a good fishing season.
This was usually done in January or february.
In newer years, the first fish of the year landing on the beach of Kamakura was called "ofuri おふり" and offered to the deities.
. first bonito, hatsu gatsuo, hatsugatsuo 初鰹 (はつがつお) .
kigo for early summer
鎌倉を生きて出でけん初鰹
Kamakura o ikite ideken hatsu-gatsuo
you made it
past Kamakura alive -
first Katsuo bonito
Written in 元禄5年, Basho age 49
Basho was well aware of the customs of Edo, where the first Katsuo was an expensive delicacy unknown in his homeland, Iga.
The bonito from Kamakura was then carried to Edo as a present to the Shogun.
quote
In 1672, prior to taking his formal penname, Basho arrived in Edo and lived near the Nihonbashi Uogashi for a time.
The first bonito of the year
Amazingly fresh
They would have been alive when they left Kamakura
This is a haiku poem in which Basho describes the first bonito catches of the year. Basho lived in the residence of Sugiyama Sanpu ...
. Sugiyama Sanpu 杉山杉風 (Sampu) .
Haiku about place names by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
. WKD : Kamakura 鎌倉 a haiku town .
Another hokku by Kikaku about the expensive first Bonito :
on the chopping board
a golden thaler -
first bonito
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Yahata mairi 八幡参（やはたまいり）
Visiting Yahata shrine
Yakujin mairi 厄神詣 (やくじんまいり) Visiting the Yakujin deity
yakujin is an evil deity that brings bad luck and diseases. He has to be appeased at the beginning of the year.
Yakuyoke 厄除けの神 is a god deity like Hachiman, who prevents bad luck.
yakumairi, yaku mairi 厄参（やくまいり）, yakumoode 厄詣（やくもうで）
Yahata ekijin moode 八幡厄神詣（やはたえきじんもうで）
Yahata miyage 八幡土産（やはたみやげ） souvenirs from Yahata
Yahatagoi, yahata koi八幡鯉（やはたごい） carp from Yahata
Yakujinsai 厄神祭（やくじんさい）Festival of the Yakujin
Aoyama matsuri 青山祭（あおやままつり）Aoyama festival
(another name for the Otokoyama)
On January 28 people went to Iwashimizu Hachimangu in Kyoto (see below) to pray for good fortunes in the coming year, at a small shrine in the Otokoyama mountain. There a sacres space was erected between a bamboo fence (himorogi 神籬）), the south side was open. People threw their talismans from the old year in and the whole was later burned.
As a "souvenir", people took home a New Year Arrow (hamaya) and a carp or dove made from paper, which they stuck into their hair.
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kigo for Late Summer
Hachiman yama 八幡山（はちまんやま）
Hachiman float
during the Gion Festival 祗園会 (ぎおんえ)
Kyoto
Reference : Gion Festival Kyoto
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kigo for Early Autumn
Fukagawa Hachiman matsuri
深川八幡祭（ふかがわはちまんまつり）
Hachiman festival at Fukagawa, Tokyo
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Fukagawa matsuri 深川祭 ふかがわまつり Fukagawa festival
Tomioka matsuri 富岡祭（とみおかまつり）Tomioka festival
. WKD : Fukagawa Matsuri Festival Haiku .
Tomioka Hachiman-gu 富岡八幡宮 and
Fukagawa Fudo Do (Fudoo Doo) 深川不動堂
Fishing amulet for a cood catch
. Tomioka Hachimangu, Tokyo 富岡八幡宮 .
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kigo for Mid-Autumn
Hachiman Matsuri八幡祭（はちまんまつり）
Hachiman Festival
at Shrine Iwashimizu Jinja
hoojoo-e 放生会（ほうじょうえ）
Buddhist ritual of releasing living animals
Yahata hoojoo-e 八幡放生会 (やはたほうじょうえ)
Iwashimizu matsuri 石清水祭（いわしみずまつり）
Iwashimizu Festival
Otokoyama matsuri 男山祭（おとこやままつり）
Festival at Otokoyama
chuushuusai 仲秋祭（ちゅうしゅうさい）mid-autumn festival
nansai 南祭（なんさい）"festival in the South" (of Kyoto)
hoojoogawa 放生川（ほうじょうがわ） river for releasing fish
hanachidori 放ち鳥（はなちどり）releasing birds
hanachigame 放ち亀（はなちがめ）releasing turtles
the name "South Festival" contrasts with the annual festival at shrine Kamo Jinja in the north of Kyoto.
. kita no matsuri 北祭（きたのまつり）"festival in the North"
quote
The Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (石清水八幡宮) is a Shinto shrine in the city of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture.
The shrine's Heian period connections with the Kyoto and the Imperial family date from its founding in 859 (Jōgan 1) when construction on its earliest structures commenced. Shrine tradition explains that Emperor Seiwa ordered the shrine to be built in obeisance to an oracle in which Hachiman expressed the desire to be near to Kyoto to watch over the city and the Imperial House of Japan. This vision was reported by a Buddhist monk, Gyōkyō, who had a second vision which led to selecting the Otokoyama location where the shrine now stands.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
Rikyu - Hachimangu was originally named
"Iwashimizu (=spring water)-Hachimangu".
. Rikyu Hachimangu Shrine in Oyamazaki-cho .
and the egoma oil connection 荏胡麻油
. Hojo-E 放生会 releasing life animals
and the Heart Pond 心の池 .
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. Hakozaki in Fukuoka 福岡県福岡市東区箱崎 .
Hakozaki matsuri 筥崎祭 (はこざきまつり) Hakozaki festival
Hakozaki hoojoo e 筥崎放生会（はこざきほうじょうえ）
Hakozaki Hachimanguu 福岡筥崎八幡宮 Hachimangu shrine in Fukuoka
September 12 - 18
It is one of the three great festivals in Fukuoka.
Hakozaki Shrine was founded in 923, with the transfer of the spirit of the kami Hachiman from Daibu Hachiman Shrine in what is Honami Commandry, Chikuzen Province in Kyūshū.
The annual Tamaseseri Festival (January 3) and the
Hojoya Festival (September 12–18) attract many to visit the shrine.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the shrine !
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Usa matsuri 宇佐祭（うさまつり） Usa festival
Usa hoojoo e 宇佐放生会 (うさほうじょうえ)
at Usa Hachimangu 宇佐八幡宮 in Oita.
To appease the souls of warriours, now shells and clams are released into the sea.
Because of its mixed religious ancestry, one of the important festivals at the shrine is the hōjō-e (放生会), originally a Buddhist ceremony in which captive birds and fish are released.
The ceremony is accompanied by sacred kagura dances meant to commemorate the souls of fish killed by fishermen during the previous year. This syncretic rite fusing Buddhism and Shinto, now performed in many shrines all over the country, took first place here.
Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman-jin (the tutelary god of warriors), is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him; and the first and earliest of these was at Usa in the early 8th century. The Usa jingū 宇佐神宮 has long been the recipient of Imperial patronage; and its prestige is considered second only to that of Ise.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
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Yabusame 流鏑馬
Tsurugaoka Hachiman matsuri
鶴岡八幡祭（つるがおかはちまんまつり）
Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachiman shrine
Kamakura
Tsurugaoka matsuri 鶴岡祭 つるがおかまつり
Kamakura Hachiman matsuri
鎌倉八幡祭（かまくらはちまんまつり）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
yabusame 流鏑馬（やぶさめ）archery on horseback
quote
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū (鶴岡八幡宮) is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura.
This shrine, which used to be also a Buddhist temple and far bigger than today, was originally built in 1063 in Zaimokuza where tiny Moto Hachiman now stands, and dedicated to the Emperor Ōjin, (deified with the name Hachiman, the god of war), his mother Empress Jingu and his wife Hime-gami. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, moved it to its present location in 1191 and invited Hachiman (from Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine) to reside in the new location to protect his government.
The present location was carefully chosen as the most propitious after consulting a diviner because it had a mountain to the north (the Hokuzan (北山)), a river to the east (the Namerikawa 滑川), a great road to the west (the Kotō Kaidō (古東街道)) and was open to the south (on Sagami Bay).
There are a number of sub-shrines on the site, the most important of which are the Junior Shrine (Wakamiya (鶴岡八幡宮若宮（下宮)) at the bottom, and the Senior Shrine (Hongū (本宮)) 61 steps above. The present Senior Shrine building was constructed in 1828 by Tokugawa Ienari, the 11th Tokugawa shogun.
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is now just a Shinto shrine but, for the almost 700 years from its foundation until the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order (神仏判然令) of 1868, its name was Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū-ji (鶴岡八幡宮寺) and it was also a Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in Kamakura.
Also in the compounds are
Maiden (舞殿) Dance Hall
Shirahata Jinja (白旗神社) shrine
Maruyama Inari sha (丸山稲荷社) shrine
Hataage Benzaiten Shrine (旗上弁財天社) Hata-age
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
The great Gingko Tree
. Wakamiya Hachimangu 若宮八幡宮 Shrines list .
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kigo for late Autumn
. Nada Fighting Festival (Nada no Kenka Matsuri)
灘のけんか祭り
at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Himeji
姫路 松原八幡神社
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Worldwide use
Hachiman Daibosatsu 八幡大菩薩
Großer Bodhisattva Hachiman
- quote -
Hachiman Project -
Heidelberg University Germany
The Hachiman Digital Handscrolls Project (HDH) is a pilot study to enhance digital presentations of movable image-and-text formats. The innovative open source system HyperImage is the pivotal tool employed to realize the aims of the project.
HDH
offers an innovative access to seven digitized Japanese illuminated hand scrolls ranging from the 14th to the 19th century. Each version tells the same story: The first part covers the prehistoric pregnant Empress Jingû and her alleged conquest of the Korean kingdoms by help of indigenous deities. This colorful myth is followed by the empress’s birth of the future Emperor Ôjin, and his manifestation as the Hachiman deity. Hachiman’s miraculous appearances and oracles as well as the foundation tales of the most famous Hachiman shrines cover the second part of the scrolls. The title of the scrolls reflects the gist of the scrolls,
“Karmic Origins of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.”
- source : uni-heidelberg.de -
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Things found in the Daruma Museum
Mikoshi palanquin 神輿
The possible origin of "mikoshi" is said to be found in the Nara Period, when the "kami" of the Hachiman Shrine in Usa was invited on a purple palanquin to Nara for the constructin of the "Daibutsu" Great Statue of Budda.
Matsuri : Festivals in Japan
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Yakushi-Ji temple, Nara
The approach to Yakushiji is along a winding path that passes the
Yasumigaoka Hachimangu 休岡八幡宮(やすみがおか はちまんぐう).
This building was constructed in 1603 and is still used to celebrate the Hachiman Festival on September 15th. If you visit at this time, you may be lucky enough to see the local children's sumo competition.
It is the shrine dedicated to Hachiman, here as a protector deity of Yakushiji, founded around 889, with its present structures from 1603.
Temple Yakushi-Ji Nara
法相宗大本山薬師寺
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The Deity for tuesday, kayoosei 火曜星（かようせい)
Hachiman Daibosatsu 八幡大菩薩） （六白金星）
and the Nine Stars Crest ... 九曜紋 ... Kuyoo Mon
. . . CLICK here for Photos of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman !
. Fuuji Hachimangu 風治八幡宮 Fuji Hachimangu .
Fukuoka
Kawagoe Hachimangu 川越八幡宮
..... Sumo Inari Shrine 相撲稲荷
Koo Hachimangu and the Shagiri festival 鴻八幡宮例大祭（しゃぎり
Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture
Hakodate Hachiman Shrine in Yachigashiracho
. Isaniwa Jinja 伊佐爾波神社 - Matsuyama .
Yuzuki Hachiman 湯月八幡 or Dogo Hachiman 道後八幡
Kitamuki Hachiman Shrine 北向八幡宮 Kobe city
Kotozaki Hachimangu 琴崎八幡宮
山口県宇部市上宇部大小路 Yamaguchi, Ube town
. Nishino Jinja 西野神社 Shrine in Sapporo .
Hondawake no mikoto 譽田別命 Homudawake
. Oosaki Hachimangu 大崎八幡宮 Osaki Hachiman Shrine .
Sendai
The Tamukeyama Shrine became the first branch of the Hachiman shrine from Usa.
Tamukeyama Hachiman Gu 手向山八幡宮
Yoshioka Hachiman Jinja 吉岡八幡神社 Miyagi
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When the legendary Empress Jinguu Koogoo (Jingu Kogo) stayed at the Hot Spring Doogo in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku on her way to the Korean battlefield, she realized that she was pregnant.
To pray for the safe delivery and healthy upbringing of her child, later to become the Emperor Oojin, she had a doll made and offered it to the local Gods. This used to be called the "Roly-poly Doll of Doogo" (Doogo no Okiagari, Dogo no Okiagari). First it was made of wood but later became a papermachee doll. In the last days of February at the Spring Festival of the Matsuyama Shrine and the Iyo Hiko-no-Mikoto Shrine this doll has been sold since more than 200 years ago. It is now a talisman for easy delivery and the healthy upbringing of children and getting well after a disease.
Princess Daruma of Matsuyama
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In all shrineｓd dedicated to Hachiman the doves (pidgeons) are kept as sacred animals messengers of the deity.
. hatobue 鳩笛 pidgeon whistle, dove flute .
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komabato, koma no hato 狛鳩 guardian doves
CLICK for more photos!
Miyake Hachimanguu 三宅八幡宮 Miyake Hachimangu Shrine - Kyoto
The Miyakehachiman Shrine was founded in the reign of Empress Suiko by the envoy to China, Ono no Imoko 小野妹子, who was ill on the trip and got healed by praying to Hachiman.
This shrine is also known as 'Mushihachiman'. It is believed that child's bad health is healed.
- reference -
. koma... 狛 shrine guardian animals .
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yakujin 厄神（やくじん）
"deity of preventing bad luck"
or
"deity to bring bad luck"
Yakujin Myoo-Oo 厄神明王
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
The deities Aizen Myo-O and Fudo-O in one person as preventers of bad luck
愛染明王と不動明王
Mondo Yakujin 門戸厄神 Mondo the preventor of bad luck
Or an Aizen Myo-O with two faces 両頭愛染
Mondo Yakujin Tookooji
門戸厄神東光寺（もんどやくじん とうこうじ）
Temple Toko-Ji 東光寺 in Hyogo, Nishi no miya town.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Especially visitied on January 18 and 19 and the Star Festival on Feburary 3, when people in their "unlucky year 厄年" come to pray for protection.
. Aizen Myo-O 愛染明王
Deity to bring bad fortune and disease
. Yakubyoogami 疫病神
Deity to bring poverty 貧乏神 binboogami, bimboogami
. Yōka 八日様 Yoka Sama, the Honorable Day Eight .
rituals for the 厄神 Yakujin
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HAIKU
袴著や八幡宮の氏子だち
hakamagi ya Hachimanguu no ujiko tachi
they come clad in Hakama trousers -
all the parishioners
from Hachimangu
. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 visiting shrines and temples .
. ujiko 氏子 local worshiper, parishioner .
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城山の八幡祭風強し
shiroyama no Hachiman-sai kaze tsuyoshi
at the castle mountain
during the Hachiman festival
the wind is strong
Minagawa Bansui 皆川盤水
At Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine
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Related words
. KAMAKURA - a Haiku Town
. Sacred Animals and Amulets .
***** SAIJIKI – OBSERVANCES
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