Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
located in the Ichinomiya neighborhood of the city of
Itoigawa, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 41,333, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Itoigawa is located in the far southwestern corner of ...
.Kotodamaya.com "Amatsu Jinja" retrieved 2012-10-24. It is one of the three shrines claiming the title of ''
ichinomiya
is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14.
The term gave rise t ...
'' of former
Echigo Province
was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata ...
. The main festivals of the shrine is held annually on April 10 and October 24.
Enshrined ''kami''
The ''
kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
'' enshrined at Amatsu Jinja are:
* , known here as Amatsuhikohikoho Ninigi no mikoto; grandson of the sun goddess
Amaterasu
Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...
, and the great-grandfather of
Emperor Jimmu
was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"
* , ancestor of the
Fujiwara clan
was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...
* , ancestor of the
Imbe clan
Imbe clan (also spelled Imibe clan or Inbe clan) was a Japanese clan during the Yamato period. They claimed descent from Futodama.
The Inbe clan originally had a religious function by preparing and taking care of offerings.
Overview
As the n ...
History
Amatsu Jinja claims to have been founded during the reign of the semi-legendary
Emperor Keikō
, also known as and , was the 12th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Keikō's all ...
(71 to 130 AD) in the
Kofun period
The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...
. Historical records state that
Emperor Kōtoku
was the 36th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 孝徳天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
The years of his reign lasted from 645 through 654.
Traditional narrative
Before Kōtoku's ascensi ...
(596-694 AD) had prayers said at this shrine, and its name appears in the ''
Engishiki
The is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178.
History
In 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ...
'' records compiled in 927 AD as the major shrine of ancient Kubiki County in Echigo, although it is by no means certain that the current Amatsu Shrine is actually the same shrine as is mentioned in these ancient records. In 1611, the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
awarded the shrine a stipend of 100 ''
koku
The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...
'' for its upkeep. After the
Meiji restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
and the establishment of
State Shinto
was Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that emphasized the Emperor as ...
, the shrine was originally designated as a "county shrine", but was later raised in status to that of a prefectural shrine (県社).
The '' Heiden'' of the shrine is an ''irimoya''-style 7 x 5 bay building with a thatch roof built in 1662. The ''
Haiden Haiden may refer to:
*A Gewürztraminer wine
* Haiden (Shinto), the hall of worship of a Shinto shrine
See also
* Heiden (disambiguation)
{{disambig ...
'' is a gabled 3x2 bay structure with a copper roof built in 1797.
The ''
Bugaku
is a Japanese traditional dance that has been performed to select elites, mostly in the Japanese imperial court, for over twelve hundred years. In this way, it has been known only to the nobility, although after World War II, the dance was open ...
Itoigawa Station
is a railway station in Itoigawa, Niigata, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the third-sector railway operator Echigo Tokimeki Railway. It is also a freight terminal for the Japan Freight Railway Company.
Lines
Itoig ...
.
Subsidiary shrine
Within the shrine grounds is the , which also appears in the ''Engishiki'' records. The building is a one-bay structure with a ''
Nagare-zukuri
The or is a traditional Shinto shrine architectural style characterized by a very asymmetrical gabled roof () projecting outwards on one of the non-gabled sides, above the main entrance, to form a portico (see photo).
List of Shinto shrines in Japan
This is a list of notable Shinto shrines in Japan. There are tens of thousands of shrines in Japan. Shrines with structures that are National Treasures of Japan are covered by the List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines). For Shinto shrines ...
*
Ichinomiya
is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14.
The term gave rise t ...