In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神,

Japanese Buddhist Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had ...

pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements from both

and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

. In

religion, he is mortally Emperor Ōjin (応神天皇, ''Ōjin Tennō'') by birth who reigned in the 3rd–4th century and the son of

Empress Jingū was a legendary Japanese empress who ruled as a regent following her husband's death in 200 AD. Both the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Jingū's alleged lifetime. Leg ...

(神功皇后, ''Jingū-kōgō''), later became deified and identified by legend as "''Yahata-no-kami''" meaning "Kami of Eight Banners", referring to the eight heavenly banners that signaled the birth of the divine and deified emperor, and is also called ''Hondawake'' (誉田別命). His messenger is the

dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

, symbolizes both the bow and arrow found in samurai banners associated to him where he is called "''Yumiya Hachiman''" (弓矢八幡). Since ancient times Hachiman has been worshiped by farmers as the god of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

and by fishermen, who hoped that he would fill their nets with many fish. During the age of the samurai, descendants of both samurai clans,

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto no Yoshiie, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the fo ...

(清和源氏 ''Seiwa Gen-ji'', a line of 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 ...

descended from

Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the predecessor of Takeda ryu. T ...

) and Kanmu Taira (桓武平氏 ''Kanmu Taira'u-ji/ Hei-shi/ Hei-ji'', a line of the

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 ...

descended from

Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...

) honored Hachiman, from which the tradition is laid nationwide where samurai clans (武家 "''buke"'' in Japanese) honor Hachiman as the revered deity to them. His other roles include: to determine a samurai's fate whether they are in success or failure at battle, to control and protect martial arts, and to proclaim the victory of the army. Although often called the god of war, he is more strictly defined as the tutelary god of warriors. He is also the divine protector of Japan, the

Japanese people The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は，旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来，現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島（南西諸島）に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Jap ...

and the

Imperial House A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

Summary of Hachiman

In present form of Shinto, Hachiman is the divine spirit of Emperor Ōjin. Emperor Kinmei (欽明天皇, ''Kinmei-tennō'') in his Regnal Year 32 (571 AD) handed down that deified Emperor Ōjin was revealed for the first time to the land of Usa (宇佐の地) - present-day city of

Usa The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, in

Oita Prefecture Oita often refers to: * Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan * Ōita (city), the capital of the prefecture Oita or Ōita may also refer to: Places * Ōita District, Ōita, a former district in Ōita Prefecture, Japan *Ōita Stadium, a multi-use stad ...

, where he became the patron deity of this city, along with a lesser Shinto female deity ''Himegami'' (比売神) and the Emperor's mother, Empress Jingū, which the trio known as ''Hachiman Mikami'' (八幡三神) is enshrined. Amongst the ''Hachiman Mikami'', there are many shrines that enshrines other figures apart from the trio, like

Emperor Chūai , also known as was the 14th 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 Chūai's alleged li ...

(仲哀天皇, ''Chūai-tennō'') instead of Empress Jingū, the legendary hero and Shinto deity ''

Takenouchi no Sukune or Takeshiuchi no Sukune was a legendary Japanese hero-statesman of the 1st century, and a Shinto kami. He is recorded in Japan's earliest literary texts, the '' Kojiki'' (ca. 712) and the '' Nihon Shoki'' ( 720). Life Takenouchi no Sukune ...

'' or ''Takeshiuchi no Sukune'' (武内宿禰) and the female deity ''

Tamayori-hime Tamayori-hime may refer to: * Tamayori-hime (mother of Jimmu), a goddess in Japanese mythology, mother of Emperor Jimmu * Tamayori-hime (mother-in-law of Jimmu), a human woman in Japanese mythology, mother-in-law of Emperor Jimmu, mother of Himetat ...

'' (玉依毘売命 or 玉依姫尊), where there is a dedicated prayer for safe childbirth in the Shinto shrine of Umi Hachimangū (宇美八幡宮) in

Umi Umi or UMI may refer to: Geography * Umi, Iran, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran * Umi, Fukuoka, a town in Japan People * Umi-a-Liloa, king of the island of Hawaii *Umi Dachlan, Indonesian female artist * Umi Garrett, American female pi ...

Fukuoka prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

. Himegami The three ''Munakata'' goddesses (宗像三女神 ''Munakata Sanjoshin'') born from the divination ritual ''

Ukehi is a Japanese Shinto divination ritual. Function and performance Hayashi Oen, a nineteenth-century practitioner of ''ukehi'', identified six functions of the rite. He claimed it could be used to: * ask for information or messages from the ''k ...

'' or ''Ukei'' (宇気比, 誓約, 祈, 誓, 誓占, lit. "pledge divination") between the goddess Amaterasu and the god Susanoo - that is ''Tagitsu-hime'' (多岐津姫命), ''Ichikishima-hime'' (市杵嶋姫命) and ''Tagairi-hime'' (多紀理姫命) - is said where they descended from the heavens as the "Three Pillars of ''Usanoshima'' (宇佐嶋) of the ancient province of Tsukushi (筑紫)", located in a temple complex on Mt. Omotosan (御許山) in Usa. The ''Munakata'' goddesses are thereby the matriarchs of an ancient tribe and clan ''Munakata-shi'' (宗像氏, 宗形氏) which fishermen worshipped collectively as a whole. It is thought that the worship of ''Munakata'' goddesses by the ''Munakata'' clan was due to Empress Jingū's success in the "Conquest of the Three Kingdoms (of Korea)" (三韓征伐 ''Sankan Seipatsu''). Therefore, they are old Shinto folk deities (地主神 '' jinushigami'') before the presence of Hachiman. ''Himegami'' (比売神) is thought to be the consort or aunt of Hachiman, whereas ''

'' (玉依毘売命 or 玉依姫尊) possibly and perhaps as the mother viewed by opinion aforementioned. Since the description of Hachiman as the Emperor Ojin appeared in the "Digest Record of ''Todai-ji Temple'' (東大寺要録 ''Tōdai-ji Yoroku'')" and "Records of the Age of the Gods from the ''Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine'' (住吉大社神代記 ''Sumiyoshi-Taisha Jindaiki''), the practice of merging Emperor Ōjin into Hachiman is estimated to have begun in the

Nara Period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

or the

Heian Period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

. There are also different theories and opinions concerning the goddesses Amaterasu and '' Kukuri-hime'' (菊理媛神 or 菊理媛命, a

goddess venerated as ''Shirayama-hime'' (白山比咩), in which both called the goddess ''Himegami'' ''

Himiko , also known as , was a shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku in . Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220–265) and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler fol ...

'' (卑弥呼, or ''Pimiko'', also known as ''Shin-gi Wa-ō'' (親魏倭王, "Ruler of Wa, Friend of Wei"), a

shamaness Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiri ...

-queen of Yamatai-koku in Wakoku (倭国) around c. 170–248 AD. Empress Jingū Emperor Ojin was already destined to ascend the throne from the moment in the womb of his mother and Empress, is called "Emperor in the Womb", is based and interpreted sometimes in her belief as being the "mother deity" to the child-to-be who would be deified. The Three ''Munakata'' Goddesses, the Three ''Sumiyoshi'' Gods (住吉三神 ''

Sumiyoshi Sanjin is the generic name for the three Shinto gods ''Sokotsutsu no O no Mikoto'' (底筒男命), ''Nakatsutsu no O no Mikoto'' (中筒男命), and ''Uwatsutsu no O no Mikoto'' (表筒男命). The Sumiyoshi sanjin are regarded as the gods of the sea and ...

'') and the goddess Amaterasu who were revered by the tribal clan ''Munakata-shi'' due to their aid in the "Conquest of the Three Kingdoms (of Korea)" is also worshiped in various places. It is said by tradition in commemoration after the conquest, Empress Jingu set up eight big military flags on Tsushima (対馬) which then became the origin of the name "''Hirohatano Yahata Ōkami'' (広幡乃八幡大神)''",'' also the origin of the name "''Yahata'' (八幡)''"'' to the Empress' son, the then-emperor Ojin.

Imperial Ancestor and Deity to the Imperial Family

Since Hachiman was considered to be a divine spirit of the Emperor Ojin, he was placed as both the ancestor and ''Kōso-shin'' (皇祖神, "Imperial Ancestor Deity") of the

Imperial Family of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

. He was considered to be the guardian deity of the Imperial Household after the Grand Goddess ''Amaterasu'' written down in the "Chronicle of the ''Jōkyū'' Era" (''承久記 Jōkyūki'') to the "Compilation of the Grand Goddess ''Amaterasu'' of

Ise Ise may refer to: Places * Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria *Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan * River Ise, a tributary of th ...

and ''Hachiman Daibosatsu'' on the Imperial Throne of Japan". The founding of ''Konda Hachiman-gū'' (誉田八幡宮) Shrine at

Habikino 270px, Habikino city office is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,479 in 50918 households and a population density of 4100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is known ...

in Osaka Prefecture have been a long time linked with the connection to Emperor Ojin, therefore the Imperial Family also both revered the

Usa Shrine The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

(宇佐神宮 ''Usa Jingū'', also known as 宇佐八幡宮 ''Usa Hachiman-gū'') at

, and the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine (石清水八幡宮 ''Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū'') at

Yawata is a city located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. the city has an estimated population of 70,433 and a population density of 2,893 persons per km². The total area is 24.35 km². The city was founded on November 1, 1977 and currently has a ...

in Kyoto Prefecture, as the second ancestral shrine after the dominant

Ise Grand Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inner ...

(伊勢神宮 ''Ise Jingū'').

Syncretism of Hachiman in between Shinto and Buddhism

After the arrival of

in Japan, Hachiman became a

syncretistic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...

deity, fusing elements of the native ''kami'' worship with Buddhism ('' shinbutsu-shūgō''). In the 8th century AD, he joined the Buddhist

pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

as where his '' jinja'' (神社 - Shinto shrines) ''and jingu'' (神宮 - Shinto shrine of the Imperial family) were incorporated to shrines in Buddhist temples (寺 ''tera''). This transition happened when the Great Buddha of

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

(東大寺, ''Eastern Great Temple'') was being built and recorded in the era of the "First Year of ''

Tenpyō-shōhō was a after '' Tenpyō-kanpō'' and before ''Tenpyō-hōji.'' This period spanned the years from July 749 through August 757. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 749 : The new era name of Tenpyō-shōhō (meaning "Heavenly Peace and V ...

'' (天平勝宝 "Heavenly Peace and Victorious Treasure")" under the reign of Emperor Kōken in 749 AD, an oracle was declared by Hachiman to a senior Shinto priest (禰宜 ''negi'') and nun from Usa Shrine to proceed to the capital (in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

) that Hachiman would cooperate in the construction of a "Great Buddha" dedicated to him. From this recognition Hachiman was syncretised into Buddhism from early on. Then in the "First Year of the Era of

Ten'ō was a after ''Hōki'' and before ''Enryaku.'' This period lasted from January 781 through August 782. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 24 October 781 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previous ...

(天応)" under the reign of

Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781. Traditional narrative The personal name of ...

in 781 AD, the Shinto imperial court granted the Shinto deity ''Usa Hachiman'' (Hachiman of

) with Buddhist deity ''Hachiman Daibosatsu'' as the guardian god for the spiritual protection of the state. As a result, the spread of worship to Hachiman is transferred and received to Buddhist temples or shrines throughout the country where the "theory of Shinto and Buddhist syncretism (本地垂迹 ''Honji Suijaku'')" is established, therefore considered Amitabha to be the Buddha manifestation of Hachiman. However, the Japanese Buddhist priest

Nichiren Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age of ...

(日蓮) of the

Kamakura Period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

says he denies the theory and assumes the true form of ''Hachiman Daibosatsu'' is

Shakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

(i.e. Gautama Buddha)''.'' Thereafter in the

, veneration of Shinto shrines of Hachiman have been received and gathered throughout the nation by the samurai clans Seiwa of the Genji clan (清和源氏) and Kanmu of the Taira clan (桓武平氏). When the theory of syncretism has spread during this period, Hachiman is depicted to represent a Buddhist monk and is then called ''Sogyō Hachiman'' (僧形八幡神, "Buddhist Priest-Form Hachiman").

Worship of Hachiman by the Samurai

Because Emperor Ōjin was an ancestor of the

Minamoto 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 ...

warrior clan, Hachiman became its .

Minamoto no Yoshiie Minamoto No Yoshiie (源義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto ...

, upon coming of age at Iwashimizu Shrine in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, took the name ''Hachiman Taro Yoshiie'', and, through his military prowess and virtue as a leader, came to be regarded and respected as the ideal samurai through the ages. After

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 ...

became ''

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 Kamak ...

'' and established the

Kamakura shogunate 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 ...

, Hachiman's popularity grew and he became by extension the protector of the warrior class that the shōgun had brought to power. For this reason, the '' shintai'' of a

Hachiman shrine A is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the ''kami'' Hachiman. It is the second most numerous type of Shinto shrine after those dedicated to Inari Ōkami (see Inari shrine). There are about 44,000 Hachiman shrines. Originally the name 八幡 was ...

is usually a stirrup or a bow. Following the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, the worship of Hachiman spread throughout Japan among not only samurai, but also the peasantry. There are now about 2,500

Shinto shrines 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 ...

dedicated to Hachiman, who has more shrines dedicated to him than any other deity except

Inari Inari may refer to: Shinto * Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit ** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari ** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari * Inari-zushi, a type of sushi Places * Inari, ...

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,136,245 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, Kum ...

is head shrine of all these shrines; other important Hachiman shrines are Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, Hakozaki-gū and Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū. Hachiman's mon (emblem) is a ''

mitsudomoe , commonly translated as "comma", is a comma-like swirl symbol used in Japanese (roughly equivalent to a heraldic badge or charge in European heraldry). It closely resembles the usual form of a . The appears in many designs with various use ...

'', a round whirlpool or

vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex ( : vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in ...

with three heads swirling right or left. Many samurai clans used this ''mon'' as their own, including some that traced their ancestry back to the mortal enemy of the

, the

of the

Taira 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 ...

clan ( ja, 桓武平氏, ''Kanmu Heishi'').

References

External links

* {{Authority control Japanese gods Oracular deities Shinbutsu shūgō Shinto kami War gods Agricultural gods Mythological archers