is a Shinto shrine in

Shimonoseki is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsush ...

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 km2 (2,359 sq mi). Yamaguchi Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture t ...

, Japan. It is dedicated to Antoku, a

Japanese emperor The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the w ...

who died as a child in the Battle of Dan-no-ura (aka Dannoura), which occurred nearby in 1185. This battle was important in the history of Japan because it brought an end to Genpei War in which the

Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...

defeated the rival

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divi ...

, and ended the Taira bid for control of Japan. The shrine is situated on the waterfront of the Kanmon Strait, between the centre of Shimonoseki and the tourist restaurants of Karato, Kanmon Wharf. The bright red main gate makes it a very visible sight.

Description

The colours and style of the gate are inspired by

Ryūgū-jō or is the supernatural undersea palace of Ryūjin or Dragon God in Japanese tradition. It is best known as the place in fairytale where Urashima Tarō was invited after saving a turtle, where he was entertained by the Dragon God's princess Oto ...

, according to the Shimonoseki Tourist Guidebook published by the Shimonoseki City Tourism Department. This source states that Antoku's grandmother, Nii-no-Ama, who drowned with Antoku, wished for their palace to be created underwater as she jumped into the sea. Ryūgū-jō is a mythical underwater palace, belonging to the dragon god of the sea. In the

Tale of Heike is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yo ...

, Nii-no-Ama told Antoku, before jumping, that they would go to an underwater palace, without referring to Ryūgū-jō. Then, Antoku's mother (Kenreimon-In, aka

Taira no Tokuko The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided i ...

) had a dream, in which they were living in Ryūgū-jō. Inside, in the Hoichi Hall, is a statue of

Hoichi the Earless is the name of a well-known figure from Japanese folklore. His story is well known in Japan, and the best-known English translation first appeared in the book '' Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things'' by Lafcadio Hearn. A version ...

, one of the characters in a traditional ghost story which was made known in the west by Lafcadio Hearn. The grounds also contain the Nanamori-zuka (seven mounds), which represent the Heike warriors also lost in the Battle of Dan-no-Ura.

Kanpei-sha

In 1871, the identified the hierarchy of government-supported shrines most closely associated with the Imperial family.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' p. 124. The ''kampeisha'' were shrines venerated by the imperial family. This category encompasses those sanctuaries enshrining emperors, imperial family members, or meritorious retainers of the Imperial family.Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Kokugakuin University
Glossary of Shinto Names and Terms, ''Kampei Taisha.''
/ref> Up through 1940, the mid-range of ranked Imperial shrines or included the shrine; and it was then known as Akama''-gū''Ponsonby-Fane. ''Imperial,'' p. 125. In 1940, Akama's status was changed , which is the highest rank; and since then, it has been known as Akama ''jingū.''Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1963). ''The Viscissitudes of Shinto,'' p. 394.

Notes

References

Japan National Tourist Organisation
(note that the information that Emperor Antoku was three years old when he died is contradicted by other sources, which say that although he was a young child, he was a few years older than that. See the Wikipedia page for Antoku) * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* _______________. (1962)
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 399449
* _______________. (1963)
''The Viciissitudes of Shinto.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. {{Authority control Kanpei-taisha Jingū Shinto shrines in Yamaguchi Prefecture Beppyo shrines

Description

Kanpei-sha

See also

Notes

References