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 Fushiki-ichinomiya neighborhood of the city of Takaoka, Toyama 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 ...

. It one of four shrines claiming the title of '' ichinomiya'' of former

Etchū Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Etchū bordered on Noto and Kaga Provinces to the west, Shinano and Hida Provinces to the south, Echigo Province to the east and the Sea ...

, and has one of the strongest claims, as it is located in close proximity to the ruins of the provincial capital, '' kokubunji'' and the ''Sōja'' of Etchū Province, and the local place name is also ichinomiya". The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 18.

Enshrined ''kami''

The primary '' kami'' enshrined at Keta Jinja are: *, who is called "Onamuchi-no-mikoto" at this location * . The secondary ''kami'' nshrined at Keta Jinja are: * * .

History

The foundation of Keta Jinja is uncertain. The shrine claims that it was founded in 717 AD, but there is no documentary evidence for this. Noto Province was separated from Etchū in 718, reunited in 741 and separated again in 757. Per historical records, the

Keta Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It was the former ''ichinomiya'' of Noto Province. The main ''kami'' enshrined is Ōkuninushi. The shrine's main festival is held annually on April 3. History The origi ...

in Noto regarded as the ''ichinomiya'' during this period, but after the final separation of these provinces, a new ''ichinomiya'' needed to be designated within the reduced borders of Etchū. The new shrine was initially called the Shinketa Myōjin, or "New Keta Shrine" in Nara period records, and its designation as ''ichinomiya'' immediately created a conflict with Imizu Jinja, an existing shrine which had previously served as the ''ichinomiya'' during the initial separation of the two provinces. In the 927 AD '' Engishiki'' records, the shrine is named the "Ichinomiya Keta Shrine" but is listed as the 13th and most recent of the shrines in Imizu District. The conflict between Keta Jinja and Imizu Jinja would continue for centuries and would never be fully resolved. The Kita Shrine was rebuilt in the Juei era (1182-1184) by Kiso Yoshinaka after it had been destroyed by a fire. It was again rebuilt by Uesugi Kenshin in the Eiroku era (1558-1570). Under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate, Etchū came under the control of the Maeda clan, who continued to patronize the shrine until the Meiji restoration. With the establishment of

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 designated as a . In 1931, 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 ...

'' of the shrine, dating from the Muromachi period, was designated a National Important Cultural Property. The shrine is located a 15-minute walk from Etchū-Kokubu Station on the JR West Himi Line.

Gallery

Keta-jinja (Takaoka), honden.jpg, Honden (ICP) File:Keta Shrine.jpeg, Entrance File:Keta-jinja (Takaoka), haiden.jpg, Haiden File:県社気多神社.jpg, Keta Jinja in 1909

Cultural Properties

Important Cultural Properties

*, Muromachi period, dated 1467–1572, designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1931.

References

External links

Takaoka City Tourist Information
Shinto shrines in Toyama Prefecture Important Cultural Properties of Japan Etchū Province Takaoka, Toyama Ichinomiya Myōjin Taisha Sōja shrines Fuken-sha {{Shinto-stub