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 ...

located in the city of

Ōmihachiman 260px, City Hall 260px, Traditional buildings Preservation Area is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 82,233 in 34747 households and a population density of 570 persons per km². The total area ...

, Shiga Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The city is named after this shrine, and it is located within the Omihachiman City Traditional Buildings Preservation Area. The shrine has two main festivals, the and the which are both designated National Intangible Folk Cultural Properties.

History

The foundation of Himure Hachiman-gū is uncertain. According to the shine’s legend, it was founded in 131 AD when the semi-legendary Emperor Seimu ordered

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 was ...

to establish a shrine to “Oshima no Okami” at this location. However, “Ōshima no Ōkami” is identified with Ōkuninushi and thus this legend may be confused with that of the which is located nearby. In 275 AD,

Emperor Ōjin , also known as (alternatively spelled 譽田別命, 誉田別命, 品陀和気命, 譽田分命, 誉田別尊, 品陀別命) or , was the 15th (possibly legendary) Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dat ...

, visited Ōmi Province, and stayed at a temporary palace at the built at the location of the present shrine. During his visit, he witnessed a mysterious phenomenon in which two suns appeared in the sky at the same time. The phenomenon was considered to herald an auspicious event, and a shrine called “Himure-no-yashiro” was constructed on the site. Emperor Ōjin was later identified as the avatar of the '' kami''

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 ...

and therefore the shrine came to be called the "Himure Hachiman-gū". In 911,

Emperor Ichijō was the 66th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 一条天皇 (66)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 986 to 1011. Biography Before he ascended to the Chrysanthem ...

, constructed a shrine on the northern peak of Mount Hachiman located behind this shrine as a branch of the Usa-Hachiman-gū. This was called the "Upper shrine", or ''Kami-no-yashiro'' with the original shrine at the foot of the mountain referred to as the "Lower shrine", or ''Shimo-no-yashiro''. In 1585, Toyotomi Hidetsugu merged the two shrines together and constructed

Hachimanyama Castle was a castle in Ōmihachiman, Japan, on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga prefecture. It was the home castle of Toyotomi Hidetsugu, the nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. History Hachimanyama Castle was built by Toyotomi Hidetsugu in 1585 u ...

on the site of the ''Kami-no-yashiro''. Although the castle was soon abandoned after he was ordered to commit ''

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

'', the castle town which had developed around the castle and the lower shrine flourished as many merchants relocated to this area after the ruin of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

's Azuchi Castle. These traveling merchants, known as ''Ōmi shōnin'', traded widely throughout Japan, and even overseas, and adopted this shrine as their guardian deity. The Himure Hachiman-gū has a

votive tablet An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude ...

depicting a trading vessel between Japan and Annam with prayers for a safe voyage which is a designated National Important Cultural Property. In 1876, following the Meiji restoration and the establishment of the Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines under

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 officially designated a “village shrine”. It was promoted to the rank of “prefectural shrine” in 1916. Then shrine is a 30-minute walk from Ōmi-Hachiman Station on then JR West Biwako Line.

Gallery

近江八幡市にて日牟禮八幡宮の鳥居 2012.8.26 - panoramio.jpg, Heiden and precincts Himure hachimangu01s3200.jpg, Romon Himure hachimangu06s3200.jpg, Noh Stage Himure hachimangu05s3200.jpg, Honden

References

External links

Official websiteShiga - Biwako Visitor's Guide
{{Authority control Shinto shrines in Shiga Prefecture Ōmi Province Ōmihachiman, Shiga Hachiman shrines Beppyo shrines Ken-sha

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links