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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 ...
, a 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 ...
which enshrines a ; that is, a patron spirit that protects a given area, village, building or a
Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
. The Imperial Palace has its own tutelary shrine dedicated to the 21 guardian gods of
Ise 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 Inner ...
. Tutelary shrines are usually very small, but there is a range in size, and the great
Hiyoshi Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture Japan. This shrine is one of the Twenty-Two Shrines. Known before World War II as or Hie jinja, "Hiyoshi" is now the preferred spelling. It was also known as the . The head sh ...
for example is
Enryaku-ji is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism bas ...
's tutelary shrine. The tutelary shrine of a temple or the complex the two together form are sometimes called a . If a tutelary shrine is called ''chinju- '', it is the tutelary shrine of a Buddhist temple. Even in that case, however, the shrine retains its distinctive
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
.


''Chinjugami''

A ''chinjugami'' is the tutelary kami of a specific area or building, as for example a village or a Buddhist temple. The term today is a
synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
of ''
ujigami An is a guardian god or spirit of a particular place in the Shinto religion of Japan. The ''ujigami'' was prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests. History The ''ujigami' ...
'' (clan's tutelary ancestor) and , however the three words had originally a different meaning. While the first refers to a clan's ancestor and the second to the tutelary ''kami'' of one's birthplace, ''chinjugami'' is the tutelary ''kami'' of a given place, highly respected and venerated. The concepts were however sufficiently close to fuse together with the passing of time.


History

The frequent presence, even today, of 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 ...
near or in a Buddhist temple has its roots in the efforts made by the Japanese to reconcile local ''kami'' worship with imported
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. (For details, see article '' Shinbutsu shūgō''.) One of the first such efforts was made 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 ...
(710–794) with the founding of so-called ''shrine-temples'' (''
jingū-ji Until the Meiji period (1868–1912), the were places of worship composed of a Buddhist temple and a Shintō shrine, both dedicated to a local ''kami''. These complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its kami with ...
''), complexes consisting of a shrine dedicated to some ''kami'' and of a Buddhist temple.Mark Teeuwen in ''Breen and Teeuwen'' (2000:95-96) This
syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...
solution is believed to have its roots in the Chinese ''qié-lán-shen'' ( in Japanese), tutelary gods of Chinese temples. The reason for Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines to be constructed together was the belief that ''kami'', like humans, needed salvation through the power of
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
. ''Kami'' were then thought to be subject to
karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
and reincarnation like human beings, and early Buddhist stories tell how the task of helping suffering ''kami'' was assumed by wandering monks. A local ''kami'' would appear in a dream to the monk, telling him about his suffering. To improve the ''kami's'' karma through Buddhist rites and the reading of
sūtra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an ap ...
s, the monk would build a temple next to the ''kami's'' shrine. Such groupings were created already in the 7th century, for example in
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 ...
, Kyūshū, where ''kami''
Hachiman In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient Shinto pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神, Japanese Buddhist pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements f ...
was worshiped together with Miroku Bosatsu (
Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...
) at
Usa Hachiman-gū 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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. As a result of the creation of shrine-temple complexes, many shrines that had been open-air sites became Buddhist style groupings of buildings. At the end of the same century, Hachiman was declared to be the
Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
's tutelary ''kami'' and, a little later, a
bosatsu is the Japanese transliteration of the Sanskrit word ''bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path to ...
. Shrines for him started to be built at temples (the so-called temple-shrines, or ''jisha''), marking an important step ahead in the process of amalgamation of ''kami'' worship and Buddhism. When the great Buddha at
Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year ...
in
Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
was built, within the temple grounds was also erected a shrine for Hachiman, according to the legend because of a wish expressed by the ''kami'' himself. After this, temples in the entire country adopted tutelary ''kami'' like Hachiman and built shrines for them. This tendency to see ''kami'' as tutelary deities was strengthened during the
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 ...
(1603–1868) by the ''terauke'' system. Because all shrines were by law owned and managed by a Buddhist temple, many of their ''kami'' came to be viewed as the temple's tutelary ''kami''. As a result, until the Meiji period (1868–1912) the vast majority of all shrines were small, had no permanent priest and belonged to a Buddhist temple. With very few exceptions like
Ise 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 Inner ...
and
Izumo Taisha , officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , ...
, they were just part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy. Because they enshrined a local and minor tutelary ''kami'', they were called with the name of the ''kami'' followed by terms like ''
gongen A , literally "incarnation", was believed to be the manifestation of a buddha in the form of an indigenous kami, an entity who had come to guide the people to salvation, during the era of shinbutsu-shūgō in premodern Japan.Encyclopedia of Shint ...
'' (
avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
), ''ubusuna'', or . The term , now the most common, was rare. Examples of this kind of pre-Meiji use are Tokusō Daigongen and Kanda Myōjin.


Examples of tutelary shrine

* As we have seen, Hachiman played an important role in the evolution of temple-shrines, and is still the tutelary ''kami'' of many important temples, among them
Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year ...
,
Daian-ji was founded during the Asuka period and is one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara, Japan. History The Nihon Shoki records the founding of the , predecessor of the Daian-ji, in 639 during the reign of Emperor Jomei. A nine-story pagoda was ...
,
Yakushi-ji is one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan, and was once one of the Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples of Nanto, located in Nara, Nara, Nara. The temple is the headquarters of the Hossō school of Japanese Buddh ...
and
Tō-ji , also known as is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 796, it was one of the only three Buddhist temples allowed in the city at the time it became the capital of Japan. As such it has a long history, h ...
. * Akiha shrines practice a fire protection cult which originated at
Akihasan Hongū Akiha Jinja The is a Shinto shrine in Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu (the former town of Haruno in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan). The shrine is located near the summit of Mount Akiha, on the southern slopes of the Akaishi Mountains. It is the head shrine of the 800 ...
in Shizuoka prefecture. Because during the Edo period the shrine was under the administration of neighboring Sōtō
Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
temple Shūyō-ji, many affiliated Akiha shrines are the tutelary shrines of a Sōtō temple. *During the Japanese Middle Ages, many estates belonging to
Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school. History Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 b ...
and its tutelary shrine
Kasuga Taisha is a Shinto shrine in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is the shrine of the Fujiwara family, established in 768 CE and rebuilt several times over the centuries. The interior is famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lan ...
were given the Kasuga ''kami'' as a tutelary ''kami'', leading to the spread of such shrines to the whole country. *Kami
Inari Inari may refer to: Shinto * Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit ** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari ** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari * Inari-zushi, a type of sushi Places * Inari, ...
is often the tutelary ''kami'' of Buddhist temples. * The great
Hiyoshi Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture Japan. This shrine is one of the Twenty-Two Shrines. Known before World War II as or Hie jinja, "Hiyoshi" is now the preferred spelling. It was also known as the . The head sh ...
, head of a network of more than 4000 shrines, is
Enryaku-ji is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism bas ...
's ''chinjusha''.


See also

*
Chinju no Mori are forests established and maintained in or around shrines (Chinjugami) in Japan, surrounding temples, Sando, and places of worship. In Ko-Shintō, the forest where the god Kanabi (Kamunabi / Kannabi) is enshrined is also called the Kamish ...
*
Chinjugami is a god enshrined to protect a specific building or a certain area of land. Nowadays, it is often equated with Ujigami and Ubusunagami. A shrine that enshrines a guardian deity is called a Chinjusha. They contrast with Ujigami by having ties to ...


References

{{Authority control Architecture in Japan * Shinto shrines in Japan Shinbutsu shūgō Shinto terminology Tutelary deities