in Sōja, Okayama, where 304 ''kami'' of Bitchu Province are collectively worshipped
is a type of
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 ...
where 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 ...
'' of a region are grouped together into a single sanctuary. This "region" may refer to a ''
shōen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4'').
Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, ...
'', village or geographic area, but is more generally referred to a whole
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
. The term is also occasionally called "sōsha". The ''sōja'' are usually located near the
provincial capital established in 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 ...
under then ''
ritsuryō
, , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki'' ( ...
'' system, and can either be a newly created shrine, or a designation for an existing shrine. The "sōja" can also be 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 the province, which themselves are of great ritual importance.
Whenever a new
kokushi was appointed by the central government to govern a province, it was necessary for him to visit all of the sanctuaries of his province in order to complete the rites necessary for ceremonial inauguration. Grouping the ''kami'' into one location near the capital of the province greatly facilitated this duty,
The first mention of "sōja" appeared in 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. ...
, in the diary of Taira no Tokinori, dated March 9, 1099 in reference to the province of
Inaba.
The name "Sōja" is also found in place names such as the city of
Sōja in
Okayama Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...
.
Rokusho shrine (six place) is a very common Soja shrine name
.
Provincial Soja Shrines
Regional Soja Shrines
Regional Soja Shrines are Soja shrines dedicated to a specific region rather than a whole province. These include
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Nagao Shrine
is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the goddesses Amaterasu-ōmikami,
Toyouke-ōmikami, Mihikahime-mikoto and Shirakumowake-mikoto. It is located in the city of Katsuragi in Nara Prefecture, Japan.
Sandō
In typical Shinto style the outer ...
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Hotaka Shrine
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Washinomiya Shrine
is one of the oldest Shintō shrines in the Kantō region, located in Kuki, Saitama (formerly Washimiya), Japan.
History
The oldest record of the shrine was found in the Azuma Kagami, the official historical record for the Kamakura Shogunat ...
See also
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List of Shinto shrines
For lists of Shinto shrines, see:
*List of Shinto shrines in Japan
**List of Shinto shrines in Kyoto
*List of Shinto shrines outside Japan
**List of Shinto shrines in Taiwan
**List of Shinto shrines in the United States
See also
*List of Jingū ...
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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 ...
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Kokubun-ji
were Buddhist temples established in each of the provinces of Japan by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794).
History
Shōmu (701 – 756?) decreed both a ''kokubun-ji'' for monks and a for nuns to be established in each ...
Notes
References
Shinto shrines by ranking
Heian period
Sōja shrines
{{Shinto-stub
