is a

Shintō 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 ''Shintoist ...

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

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 anc ...

.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 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'' from Daibu Hachiman Shrine in what is Honami

Commandry In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...

Chikuzen Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today part of Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū. It was sometimes called or , with Chikugo Province. Chikuzen bordered Buzen, Bungo, Chikugo, and Hizen Provinces. History The original provinci ...

in Kyūshū. Mooko-HakataWall

During the first

Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire (1206- 1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

on November 19, 1274 (''Bun'ei 11, 20th day of the 10th month''), the Japanese defenders were pushed back from the several landing sites. In the ensuing skirmishes, the shrine was burned to the ground. When the shrine was reconstructed, a calligraphy ''Tekikoku kōfuku'' (敵国降伏; surrender of the enemy nation) was put on the tower gate. The calligraphy was written by

Emperor Daigo was the 60th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. G ...

, dedicated by Emperor Daijo Kameyama as a supplication to Hachiman to defeat invaders. The shrine is highly ranked among the many shrines in Japan. It was listed in ''Engishiki-jinmyōchō'' (延喜式神名帳) edited in 927. In 11th or 12th century, the shrine was ranked as ''

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 ...

'' (一宮; first shrine) of

. From 1871 to 1946, Hakozaki was officially designated a '' Kanpei-taisha'' (官幣大社), in the first rank of government supported shrines. Other similar

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 ...

s were

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 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 and Usa Shrine 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 ...

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 ...

Shinto belief

Hakozaki Shrine is dedicated to the veneration of the ''

'' Hachiman. This shrine especially venerates the memory of Emperor Ōjin,

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 ...

and Tamayori-bime.Fukuoka/Hakata Tourist Information website
Hakozaki Shrine.
/ref>

Treasures

A number of structures in the shrine complex have been designated as important cultural assets of Japan, including the main hall, the worship hall, tower gate and the main

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 simple ...

, ''Ichino-torii''. This torii gate was demolished in 2018, as it became too expensive to repair after pieces started to fall off. It has not been replaced.

Festivals

The annual Tamaseseri Festival (January 3) and the Hojoya Festival (September 12–18) attract many visitors to the shrine.

Notes

References

* Davis, Paul K. (1999)
''100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present.''
Oxford:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. ; * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1962).
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 399449
* Turnbull, Stephen R. (2003)
''Genghis Khan & the Mongol Conquests, 1190-1400.''
London:

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...

External links

*
Hakozaki Shrine website
*
Fukuoka/Hakata Tourist Information website, Hakozaki Shrine
images + video {{Authority control Kanpei-taisha Beppyo shrines Shinto shrines in Fukuoka Prefecture Buildings and structures in Fukuoka Tourist attractions in Fukuoka Hachiman shrines Religious buildings and structures completed in 921