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

Kashima, Ibaraki is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 67,197 in 28,873 households and a population density of 634 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 31.5%. The total area of th ...

in the northern

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

of Japan. It is dedicated to , one of the

patron deities A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

. Various dōjō of ''

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of ...

'' and ''

kendō is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread t ...

'' often display a

hanging scroll A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit East Asian painting and calligraphy. The hanging scroll was displayed in a room for appreciation; it is to be distinguished from the handscroll, which was narrower and ...

emblazoned with the name "Takemikazuchi-no-Ōkami". Prior to World War II, the shrine was ranked as one of the three most important imperial shrines in the Shinto hierarchy, along with

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 Inn ...

(伊勢神宮 ''Ise Jingū'') and Katori Shrine (香取神宮 ''Katori Jingū''). During the New Year period, from the first to the third of January, Kashima Shrine is visited by over 600,000 people from all over Japan. It is the second most visited shrine in

Ibaraki prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

for new year pilgrims.

Introduction

Kashima Shrine romon and stone lanterns - sept 22 2015

Kashima jingu mitarashi panorama - sept 22 2015

Kashima Shrine is located at the top of the Kashima plateau in south-east

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

, intersecting Lake Kitaura and Kashima Bay and in close proximity to Katori Shrine, which also has a strong connection to the martial arts. The shrine is the home of the school of

Japanese swordsmanship is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of ...

. , one of the most distinguished swordmasters in Japanese history, was a frequent visitor to the shrine and developed the school from a combination of his own experiences as a ''shugyōsha'' during and the . A large blade designated as a

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

known as the Futsu-no-Mitama Sword (布都御魂剣) is housed in the treasure house of Kashima Shrine. The ''

Honden In Shinto shrine architecture, the , also called , or sometimes as in Ise Shrine's case, is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined ''kami'', usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a sta ...

'' (main shrine building), ''Haiden'' (prayer hall) and ''

Rōmon The is one of two types of two-storied gate used in Japan (the other one being the ''nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shin ...

'' tower gate entrance are all

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

structures, and are National Important Cultural Properties. The gate is one of the largest three shrine entrances in Japan. A deer enclosure is also located down the forest path. Both Kashima Shrine's deer and those of Nara are considered messengers of the gods and hence share a strong connection. kashimadojo

Enshrined deity

is the official title of the main enshrined deity and identified as . In some historical texts he is also known as the great god of thunder. According to legend,

Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as , is the creator deity (''kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can b ...

, beheaded his own son

Kagutsuchi Kagutsuchi (カグツチ; Old Japanese: ''Kagututi''), also known as Hi-no-Kagutsuchi or Homusubi among other names, is the kami of fire in classical Japanese mythology. Mythology Kagutsuchi's birth burned his mother Izanami, causing her death ...

the fire deity, as punishment for burning his mother to death. As he performed the act the blood dripped from his sword splashing onto the rocks below him, giving birth to several ''kami'', two of which were Takemikazuchi along with the deity of Katori Shrine. Per the '' Nihon Shoki'', Takemikazuchi was the deity who provided Emperor Jimmu with a sword as he departed for the conquest of

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...

, which is one reason the shrine is regarded as a patron. However, there is no mention of the shrine in either the ''Nihon Shoki'' or the ''

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 ...

'' and the earliest written records, the ''Hitachi Fudoki'', does not identify the Kashima-no-Ōkami with Takemikazuchi.

History

According the shrine legend, Kashima Jingū was established in the first year of the legendary Emperor Jimmu, or approximately 600 BC. This is well into Japanese prehistory, and the oldest written records mentioning the shrine are in the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

Fudoki are ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition presented to the reigning monarchs of Japan, also known as local gazetteers. They contain agricultural, geographical, and historical records as well as mythology and ...

(風土記) of Hitachi province, indicating that a , or private house of ritual was rebuilt in 649 AD on a site where the great celestial god descended from the heavens and where religious ceremonies and festivals had been held since the time of Emperor Sujin,

Yamato Takeru , originally , was a Japanese semi-legendary prince of the Yamato dynasty, son of Emperor Keikō, who is traditionally counted as the 12th Emperor of Japan. His name written in kanji can vary, in the '' Nihon Shoki'' it is spelled 日本武尊 a ...

and Emperor Tenji. This region was the ancestral stronghold of the

Nakatomi clan was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji''). Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Nakatomi," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 39 retrieved 2013-5-5. The clan claims desce ...

, who were strongly allied to the Yamato court, and the area around Kashima became a center for strengthening the imperial court's control of eastern Japan following the

Taika Reform The were a set of doctrines established by Emperor Kōtoku (孝徳天皇 ''Kōtoku tennō'') in the year 645. They were written shortly after the death of Prince Shōtoku and the defeat of the Soga clan (蘇我氏 ''Soga no uji''), uniting Japan ...

. As both a war deity and a water deity, the Kashima ''kami'' were connected with military campaigns against the

Emishi The (also called Ebisu and Ezo), written with Chinese characters that literally mean "shrimp barbarians," constituted an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in parts of Honshū, especially in the Tōhoku region, referred to as in contemp ...

tribes of northern Japan. The treasury of the shrine has a one bucket said to have been a war trophy once owned by the Emishi leader Aterui. During 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 cap ...

, the Nakatomi clan rose to prominence and changed their name to

Fujiwara Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatari ...

and played a central role in reorganizing the Shinto ritual system. By 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. ...

, Kashima Jingū was given the highest rank and the Shinto hierarchy, along with

and Kashima Shrine. The '' Engishiki'' records list the shrine as the ''

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 ...

'' of Hitachi Province. Although the Fujiwara clan lost much of its power into 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 ...

, the shrine continued to enjoy high status and prestige with the warrior class and was strongly supported by successive ''

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

'' governments and local ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

''. Minamoto no Yoritomo granted the shrine numerous estates, and many members of the ''samurai'' class entered the priesthood, sometimes advancing to very senior positions. The shrine buildings were extensively reconstructed during the early

, with

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 ...

sponsoring the reconstruction of the main shrine in 1605 (currently the main building of the Oku-no-miya Shrine),

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

rebuilding the current main shrines in 1619 and with Tokugawa Yorifusa contributing the tower gate in 1634. In 1687, poet

Matsuo Bashō born then was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative '' haikai no renga'' form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest ma ...

traveled to the Kashima Shrine, writing of the journey in his '' haibun'' travel journal, '' Kashima Kikō''. Following 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 shrine was designated a , or imperial shrine, 1st rank, 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 second ''torii'' gate was rebuilt in granite from Kasama in 1968 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Meiji restoration. The precincts of the shrine were designated a National Historic Site in 1986. The shrine suffered only moderate damage in the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

. The main ''torii'' gate was destroyed and 64 of the stone lanterns lining the shrine's pathways fell over. Although none of the main buildings were destroyed, the total cost of repairing the structures came to 170 million Yen. Following the earthquake, the first large scale

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

ever made on the site was conducted in the northwestern side of the precincts. Many artifacts dating back to the Nara period were uncovered.

Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival

This special festival held once every 12 years in the

Year of the Horse ''Year of the Horse'' is a 1997 American documentary film directed by Jim Jarmusch, following Neil Young and Crazy Horse on their 1996 tour. An accompanying live album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse was released in 1997. It offers a different tra ...

is to honour the great deities Takemikazuchi of Kashima Shrine and Futsunushi of Katori Shrine. The festival is one of great pride for the people in the areas of Kashima and Katori and said to be one of the biggest in Japan. The next Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival will be in 2026. The festival began during the time of

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 ...

although it was stopped once during the civil warring of the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

. In 1870, the tradition of the festival was revived and given imperial status. In 1887 it was decided that the festival would be held every 12 years in the Year of the Horse. Today the Grand Imperial Ofuna festival begins in the morning on the first of September and officials from the imperial court are sent to convey the blessings of the Emperor. In the early morning of the second day 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 Kashima Shrine is carried overland along the edge of Lake Kitaura, a smaller part of Lake Kasumigaura, to a large boat waiting in the harbor. The boat, adorned with a great Ryūtō (龍頭) dragon motif, then joins a larger fleet of other colourful boats (in 2002 there were around 90) and carries the ''mikoshi'' across the lake to the other side. From there a divine procession awaits to take the ''mikoshi'' to Katori Shrine where the main festival takes place. After the festival a special temporary logging known as an Angu (行宮) is constructed and the Mikoshi is taken there before being returned to its main shrine in the afternoon of the third day.

Festivals and annual events

January *New Years Day Service (1st, 06:00) *Festival of Origins (3rd, 10:00) *White Horse Festival (7th, 18:00) February *Setsubun Festival ( Setsubun Day, 18:00) *Kigen Era Festival (11th, 10:00) *Bountiful Crops Festival (17th, 10:00) March *Saitousai Main Festival of Colour (9th, 10:00) *Spring Festival (9th, 18:00) *Spring Equinox and Spirits of the Ancestors Festival (Spring Equinox Day, 10:00) April *Rear Shrine Spring Service (1st, 10:00) *Inner Shrine Spring Service (2nd) *Shrine Ruins Spring Service (3rd) *Sakado and Numao Shrine Spring Service (4th) *Outer Shrine Spring Service (5th) *Outer Shrine Divine Spring Service (6th) *Ikisu Shrine Annual Spring Service (14th) May *Bountiful Harvest and Horseback Archery Festival (1st, 13:00) June *Summer Solstice Purification Ceremony (29th, 18:00) *Ōharai Shinto Purification Ceremony (30th, 15:00) September * ''Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival'' (1st–3rd, in 2014) *Annual Shrine Festival (1st, 10:00) *Chinese Lantern Festival (1st, 18:00) *Fortune Festival (1st, 20:00) *Return of the Deities Festival (2nd, 15:00) *Xinggong Angu Imperial Logging Festival (2nd, 22:00) *Enshrinement of the Ancestors Festival (21st, 18:00) *Autumn Equinox Festival (22nd, 08:00) *Great Festival of Ancestral Spirits (22nd, 08:00) October *Offering of the Harvest Festival (17th, 10:00) November *Rear Shrine Autumn Service (1st, 10:00) *Inner Shrine Autumn Service (2nd) *Meiji Festival (3rd, 09:00) *Sumo Festival (3rd, 10:00) *Shrine Ruins Autumn Service (3rd) *Sakado and Numao Shrine Autumn Service (4th) *Outer Shrine Autumn Service (5th) *Outer Shrine Autumn Service (6th) *Ikisu Shrine Autumn Service (13th) *Shinjyosai Offering of the Harvest to the gods (23rd, 10:00) December *Shrine Offerings Ceremony (20th, 10:00) *Tencho Festival (23rd, 10:00) *Shinto Purification Ceremony (31st, 15:00) *New Year's Eve Service (31st, 15:00) Monthly service *Ceremony for the Ancestors (1st day of each month, 10:00)

External links

Kashima Jingū website

References

*Meik Skoss (1994)

Retrieved April 7, 2005. *George Mccall (2009)
"Tsukuhara Bokuden"
Retrieved February 15, 2012. {{Authority control Kanpei-taisha Jingū Kashima, Ibaraki Shinto shrines in Ibaraki Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan Hitachi Province Beppyo shrines