is a

Shinto 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 ''Shintois ...

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 ...

on a hill named in Tennōji-ku,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan. It is notable for being the possible location of a legendary tunnel used during the 17th century

Siege of Osaka The was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages (winter campaign and summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege ...

History

The temple is said to have been built in the 5th century CE, during the reign of

Emperor Hanzei was the 18th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 反正天皇 (18) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' p. 38. ...

. In the past it was also known as Himeyama Shrine, but has become more commonly known as the Sanko Shrine of Mt. Sanada. According to the shrine's history, the current head priest is the 86th head in the shrine's lineage.

Grounds

There is a statue of

Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson D ...

on the grounds in recognition of the belief that the area is the location of the

Sanada Maru The was a small fortification attached to Osaka castle. It is famous for being impregnable and playing a key role in defending the castle in the winter of 1615. Later, it was forcefully destroyed despite being exempt from the reconciliation con ...

, a fortification defended by the

Toyotomi clan The was a Japanese clan that ruled over the Japanese before the Edo period. Unity and conflict The most influential figure within the Toyotomi was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three "unifiers of Japan". Oda Nobunaga was another primary ...

during the 1614 Winter Campaign of the

. Within the grounds of the shrine is the opening of a tunnel, the , that is said to have connected the

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Layout The main tower ...

during the siege. The number of worshippers visiting the shrine has increased dramatically since the shrine has been featured in the 2016

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

taiga drama ''

''. However, recent research by

Yoshihiro Senda is a Japanese castle archeologist. He is a professor at Nara University and was president of the university from April 2014 to August 2016. His work focuses on the excavation and maintenance of castles from medieval and modern Japan, as well as ...

, Professor of Archeology and President of Nara University, concluded that the Sanada Maru was likely located several hundred metres away from the shrine. Senda further found that the tunnel on the shrine's grounds is not the legendary passage, but more likely a trench dug by the attacking Maeda forces.

Festivals

In June each year the shrine hosts the ''"Chūbu-yoke"'' festival, a week-long festival devoted to warding off the ill effects (e.g. paralysis and numbness) caused by stroke. During the rare event, a ring of grass measuring two metres in height is erected within the temple's hall. After receiving a blessing from the priest, the worshipper steps through the ring while praying for good health and long life.

Access

A small shopping street commonly referred to as the "Tamatsukuri Yukimura Road" leads from

Tamatsukuri Station is a railway station and metro station complex in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is on the Osaka Loop Line of West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line of Osaka Metro. Lines *West Japan Railway Company (JR W ...

to the shrine. The station is connected to JR West's

Osaka Loop Line The is a railway loop line in Japan operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It encircles central Osaka. Part of a second, proposed outer loop line, the Osaka Higashi Line, from Hanaten to Kyuhoji was opened on March 15, 2008, an ...

and the Osaka subway's Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line.

Gallery

File:Sanko-shrine-osaka-gate.jpg, Entrance to Sanko Shrine File:Sanko-shrine-osaka-tunnel.jpg, A tunnel entrance, said to have been a tunnel to

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanko Shrine Shinto shrines in Osaka