is located on the island of
Ōmishima in the
Seto Inland Sea
The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...
. The shrine is dedicated to the gods who protect sailors and soldiers. Because of this, many ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
'' and other military leaders have made offerings at the shrine in hopes of military success, or in thanks for victory in battle.
The offerings of swords, armor, and other military equipment are now housed in the largest museum of fighting equipment used during the age of the samurai in Japan. There are items housed in the shrine which belonged to
Tsuruhime,
Tomoe Gozen
Tomoe Gozen (, ) was an onna-musha from the late Heian period of Japanese history. She served Minamoto no Yoshinaka during the Genpei War and was a part of the conflict that led to the first shogunate. Her family had strong affiliations with Yos ...
,
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...
, founder of the
Kamakura Bakufu
The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459.
The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yor ...
and first ''
shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...
'', and to his younger brother,
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo conso ...
.
The shrine is in a grove of camphor trees, the oldest of which are between 2,600 and 3,000 years old.
See also
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords)
The term "National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897,
although the definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term. The swords and sword mountings in the list adhere to the c ...
Notes
External links
Official site
Shinto shrines in Ehime Prefecture
{{Shinto-stub