![Hiyoshi-taisha higashihongu02n3200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Hiyoshi-taisha_higashihongu02n3200.jpg)
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
Ōtsu
270px, Ōtsu City Hall
is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ōtsu is ...
,
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...
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 ...
. This shrine is one of the
Twenty-Two Shrines
The of Japan is one ranking system for Shinto shrines. The system was established during the Heian period and formed part of the government's systematization of Shinto during the emergence of a general anti-Chinese sentiment and the suppression o ...
. Known before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as or Hie jinja, "Hiyoshi" is now the preferred spelling. It was also known as the . The head shrine in Ōtsu heads the seventh largest
shrine network in Japan, with approximately 3800 Hiyoshi, Hie, and Sannō shrines nationwide.
Torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simplest ...
of this shrine have a distinctive configuration, known as the "Sannō torii", with a gaggle above the main crossbeam. The 400,000 square meter precincts centered is designated as a
National Historic Site,
and the east and west main shrine buildings, the and are designated as
National Treasures,
and many of the structures in the precincts are designated as National
Important Cultural Properties.
Enshrined ''kami''
;Main shrine
* Nishi Hongū:
* Higashi Hongū:
;Subsidiary shrines
* Ushio-gū:
* Juge Jinja:
* Sannomiya-gū:
* Usa-gū:
* Shirayama-gū:
History
The first mention of 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 ...
'' Oyamakui is recorded in
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
, written in the 8th century AD, which states that this god resides at
Mount Hiei
is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan.
The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by S ...
, which is located immediately to the east of Hiyoshi Taisha. This ''kami'' was relocated from the summit of the mountain to its present location in the seventh year of the reign of the semi-legendary
Emperor Sujin
, also known as in the ''Kojiki'', and or in the '' Nihon Shoki'' was the tenth Emperor of Japan. While Sujin is the first emperor whose existence historians widely accept, he is still referred to as a "legendary emperor" due to a lack of info ...
, or 90 BC per the traditional calendar. In 668 AD,
Emperor Tenji
, also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')天智天皇 (38)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 5 ...
decided to relocate the capital to
Ōmi Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Ōmi was ranked as one of the 13 "great countrie ...
and built the
Ōtsu Palace
270px, Ōtsu City Hall
is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ōtsu is ...
. At this time, the ''kami'' of
Ōmiwa Shrine
, also known as , is a Shinto shrine located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is noted because it contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve Mount Miwa, the mountain on which it stands. For the same reas ...
in
Yamato Province
was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, the ...
(who served as protector of the imperial dynasty) was relocated as well, and was installed in the Nishi Hongū, whereas the original sanctuary came to be called the Higashi Hongū. In 788 AD,
Saichō
was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism based on the Chinese Tiantai school he was exposed to during his trip to Tang China beginning in 804. He founded the temple and headquarters of Tendai at Enryaku-j ...
erected the
Tendai
, also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...
Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
complex of
Enryaku-ji
is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō
was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism bas ...
on Mount Hiei. After the transfer of the capital to
Heian-kyō
Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180.
Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...
, Enryaku-ji and by extension, Hiyoshi Taisha came to be guardians of the spiritually vulnerable northeast quadrant from the capital. As Enryaku-ji became ever more powerful, and the Buddhist faith gradually amalgamated with Shinto under the ''
Shinbutsu-shūgō
''Shinbutsu-shūgō'' (, "syncretism of kami and buddhas"), also called Shinbutsu shū (, "god buddha school") Shinbutsu-konkō (, "jumbling up" or "contamination of kami and buddhas"), is the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism that was Japan's o ...
'' policy, Hiyoshi Taisha was subsumed into Enryaku-ji. As missionaries from Enryaku-ji built Buddhist temples all across Japan, they also spread the faith in the "Sannō Gongen" and the Hie ''kami''.
The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early
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. ...
. In 965,
Emperor Murakami
was the 62nd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 村上天皇 (62)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Murakami's reign spanned the years from 946 to his death in 967.
Biography
Before he ascended to ...
ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian ''kami'' of Japan,
[Ponsonby-Fane, ''Shrines,'' p. 118.] and Hie Taisha was added to this listing by
Emperor Go-Suzaku
was the 69th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後朱雀天皇 (69)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Go-Suzaku's reign spanned the years from 1036 through 1045.
This 11th-century sovereign was name ...
in 1039. This unique number of Imperial-designated shrines has not been altered since that time.
During the late
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. ...
, political troubles arose between Enryaku-ji and the secular government in Kyoto. It became the practice of the
warrior-monks from the temple to carry a ''
mikoshi
A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...
'' portable shrine from Hie Taisha into the capital and to riot to enforce their political will. Soon after the ''
kanpaku''
Fujiwara no Moromichi
was a Japanese statesman, known for his opposition to the Insei system.
He was the son of Fujiwara no Morozane.
Career
Moromochi's career spanned the years from 1069 to his death in 1099. He was made Regent ( Kampaku) in 1094. During his lifet ...
dared to oppose the riots by stopping the ''mikoshi'', he died under mysterious circumstances, which the temple was quick to attribute to a curse from the gods for having shown disrespect to the ''mikoshi''. The ''mikoshi'' of Hei Taisha thus became an object of fear and awe, and the temple used the tactic of running riot with the ''mikoshi'' to obtain their will on more than 40 occasions over a 370+ year period into the
Sengoku period
The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615.
The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
.
The practice was stopped in 1571 when
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 ...
ordered Enryaku-ji to be razed to the ground, and all of its monks to be massacred. This also included Hie Taisha. The shrine was rebuilt under
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...
, with the oldest buildings currently at the shrine dating from the period of 1586 to 1597. Toyotomi Hideyoshi had a deep faith in the Sannō Gongen, as his childhood name was "Hiyoshi Maru" and his nickname was "monkey", an animal which was considered to be the spiritual messenger of the Hie ''kami''. The Nishi Hongū was reconstructed in 1586 and the Higashi Hongū in 1595.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...
also had faith in the Sannō Gongen and the shrine was supported by 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 ...
.
In 1868 (the first year 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 ...
), the new
Meiji government
The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan.
Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...
decreed the
separation of Shinto and Buddhism. Hie Taisha was at the forefront of this effort, and was one of the first to burn or otherwise its Buddhist statuary, ritual implements and scriptures. This was the beginning of the nationwide ''
Haibutsu kishaku
(literally "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shākyamuni") is a term that indicates a current of thought continuous in Japan's history which advocates the expulsion of Buddhism from Japan. Under the shogunate, obtaining the permission to open or cl ...
'' movement. 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 shrive was officially designated one of the , or Imperial shrine of the first rank.
[Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 125.]
Gallery
Hiyoshi-taisha usagu01bs4592.jpg, Usa-gū (ICP)
Hiyoshi-taisha shirayamahime-jinja-haiden01n4592.jpg, Shirayama-gū (ICP)
Hiyoshi Taisha shrine 日吉大社11 - panoramio.jpg, Higashi Hongū '' Romon'' (ICP)
Hiyoshi-taisha juge-jinja-honden01s4592.jpg, Juge Jinja (ICP)
Hiyoshi-taisha ninomiyabashi01s4592.jpg, Ninomiya Bridge (ICP)
Hiyoshi Taisha Momiji 1.jpg, Torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simplest ...
on the ''Momiji
''Acer palmatum'', commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: ''irohamomiji'', , or ''momiji'', (栴), is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. ...
Matsuri'' evening (Maple Festival)
See also
*
Twenty-Two Shrines
The of Japan is one ranking system for Shinto shrines. The system was established during the Heian period and formed part of the government's systematization of Shinto during the emergence of a general anti-Chinese sentiment and the suppression o ...
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)
The number of Shinto shrines in Japan today has been estimated at more than 150,000. Single structure shrines are the most common. Shrine buildings might also include oratories (in front of main sanctuary), purification halls, offering halls called ...
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Shiga)
This list is of the Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefecture of Shiga.
National Historic Sites
As of 1 January 2021, fifty Sites have been designated as being of national significance (including two *Special Historic Sites); Gen ...
References
*
Breen, John and
Mark Teeuwen Mark J. Teeuwen (Marcus Jacobus Teeuwen, born 9 February 1966, Eindhoven) is a Dutch academic and Japanologist. He is an expert in Japanese religious practices, and he is a professor at the University of Oslo.University of Oslo faculty CV/ref> In ...
. (2000)
''Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami.''Honolulu:
University of Hawaii Press
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
.
*
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962).
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 399449* ____________. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887* ''Hieizan Rekishi no Sampomichi'',
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
, 1995,
External links
山王総本宮 日吉大社- Hiyoshi Taisha's official website (Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiyoshi Shrine
Kanpei-taisha
Shinto shrines in Shiga Prefecture
Buildings and structures in Ōtsu
National Treasures of Japan
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
Historic Sites of Japan
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1586
Beppyo shrines