A is a
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 ...
dedicated to 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 ...
''
Hachiman
In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient Shinto pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神, Japanese Buddhist pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements f ...
.
It is the second most numerous type of Shinto shrine after those dedicated to
Inari Ōkami
, also called , is the Japanese ''kami'' of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake, of agriculture and industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, and one of the principal kami of Shinto. In earlier Japan, Inari was also the patron of swor ...
(see
Inari shrine).
There are about 44,000 Hachiman shrines.
Originally the name 八幡 was read ''Yawata'' or ''Yahata'', a reading still used in some cases. Many towns and cities incorporating the names ''Hachiman'', ''Yawata'' or ''Yahata'' grew around these shrines.
Famous Hachiman shrines
The following four shrines are often grouped into groups of three, either as Usa-Iwashimizu-Hakozaki or Usa-Iwashimizu-Tsurugaoka, and both of these groupings are known as the Three Major Hachiman Shrines of Japan ().
*
Usa Jingū
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 territo ...
(
Usa, Ōita
is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan at the tip of Kunisaki Peninsula in northern Kyushu.
Notable for the Usa Jingū, the head shrine of all 40,000 Hachiman shrines across Japan, the city annually attracts as many as 1.8 million worshi ...
), the Sōhonsha (head shrine)
*
Iwashimizu Hachimangū
200px, Main gate of the Iwashimizu Hachimangū
is a Shinto shrine in the city of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.
History
The shrine's Heian period connections with the Kyoto and the Imperial family date from its founding in 859 (''Jōgan 1'' ...
(
Yawata, Kyoto
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 s ...
)
*
Hakozaki Shrine
is a Shintō shrine in Fukuoka .Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962). ''Studies in Shinto and Shrines,'' p. 339.
History
Hakozaki Shrine was founded in 923, with the transfer of the spirit of the ''kami Hachiman'' from Daibu Hachiman Shrine in ...
(
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
)
*
Tsurugaoka Hachimangū
is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is a cultural center of the city of Kamakura and serves as the venue of many of its most important festivals with two museums.
For most of its ...
(
Kamakura
is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939.
Kamak ...
)
Other notable Hachiman shrines
*
Fukuyama Hachimangū 福山八幡宮 (
Fukuyama, Hiroshima
is a city located on the Ashida River in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. As of September 30, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 468,812 and a population density of 904.80 persons per km2. The total area is .
After Hiroshima, it is the l ...
)
*
Hakodate Hachiman Shrine 函館八幡宮 (
Hakodate, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...
)
*
Hatogamine Hachiman Shrine 鳩峰八幡神社 (
Tokorozawa, Saitama
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 344,194 in 163,675 households and a population density of 4800 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Tokorozawa is located in the ce ...
)
*
Iino Hachimangū 飯野八幡宮 (
Iwaki, Fukushima
is a city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , Iwaki had a population of 337,765 in 143,500 households, and population density of 270 persons per km2. The total area of the city is , making it the largest city in the prefecture and the 10th ...
)
*
Kameyama Hachimangū
Kameyama Hachimangū (亀山八幡宮, ''Kameyama Hachimangū'') is a Shinto shrine located in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is a Hachiman shrine, dedicated to the kami Hachiman. The kami enshrined there include Emperor Ōjin, E ...
亀山八幡宮 (
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 Tsushim ...
, Yamaguchi)
*
Miyake Hachimangū
Miyake-Hachimangū (三宅八幡宮) is a Shinto shrine, in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine is famous for worship to beneficial to children, such as baby colic, academic achievement, safe delivery of childbirth. Because Mushi (虫, parasiti ...
三宅八幡宮 (
Sakyo-ku,
Kyoto
Kyoto (; 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 metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
)
*
Morioka Hachimangū
is a Shinto shrine in the city of Morioka, Iwate in northern Japan. The shrine is noted for its annual festival on the second Saturday in June, which is famous for the '' Chagu Chagu Umakko'', a horse parade which was recognized in 1978 as an ...
盛岡八幡宮 (
Morioka
is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is .
...
, Iwate)
*
Ōsaki Hachimangū
is a Shinto shrine in Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. The has been designated a National Treasure of Japan.
Beppyo shrines History
The construction of the present ''shaden'' was ordered by the wealthy ''daimyō'' Date Masamune. He hired cra ...
大崎八幡宮 (
Sendai
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
, Miyagi)
*
Shiraoi Hachiman Shrine 白老八幡神社 (
Shiraoi, Hokkaido
is a town located in Iburi, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town had a population of 17,759. It was established in 1867 by the feudal lords of Sendai. Most of the area of the town is forested and parts lie within the Shikotsu-Tōya Nat ...
)
*
Shiroyama Hachimangū 城山八幡宮 (
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
)
*
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine 富岡八幡宮 (
Koto, Tokyo)
*
Tamukeyama Hachiman Shrine 手向山八幡宮 (near the
Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year ...
,
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 i ...
)
*
Umi Hachiman-gū
is a Shinto shrine located in Umi, Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. It is dedicated to Emperor Ōjin, Empress Jingū, Tamayori-bime, Sumiyoshi sanjin and Izanagi. In the former Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines, it was classified as a prefectu ...
宇美八幡宮 (
Umi, Fukuoka
is a town located in Kasuya District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2016, the town has an estimated population of 37,663 and a density of 1,200 persons per km². The total area is 30.22 km².
The town has a river, the Umigawa, flowin ...
)
*
Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine (Tokyo) Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine may refer to:
* Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine (Hyōgo), a shinto shrine in Miki, Hyōgo, Japan
* Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine (Tokyo), a shinto shrine in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan
{{Disambig ...
大宮八幡宮 (
Suginami
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English.
As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 persons per km2. The total area is 34.06 km2 ...
, Tokyo)
*
Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine (Hyōgo)
is a Shinto shrine in Miki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is a Hachiman Shrine that was founded in 1111 and was rebuilt in 1585 after having burned down. 大宮八幡宮 (
Miki, Hyōgo
is a Cities of Japan, city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 75,009 and a population density of 420 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Miki is located in the southwestern part of H ...
)
*
Ōshio Hachiman Shrine
is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.
This Hachiman shrine was established in 891 as a branch of the Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu in Kyoto as the primary shrine of Nanjō District. During the Genpei War, the sh ...
大塩八幡宮 (
Echizen, Fukui
is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 83,078 in 20.341 households and the population density of 360 persons per km². The total area of the city was . The modern city of Echizen was establis ...
)
*
Sapporo Hachimangū 札幌八幡宮
Sapporo, Hokkaido
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
*
Saipan Hachiman Shrine (
Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
,
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...
)
See also
*
Inari Shrine
References
External links
*
*
Hachiman faith
Shinto shrines in Japan
{{Shinto-stub