is a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

located in the city of

Ōmihachiman file:Omihachiman City Hall.jpg, 260px, City Hall file:Hachimanbori07s3200.jpg, 260px, Traditional buildings Preservation Area is a Cities of Japan, city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 82,233 in 3474 ...

Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The city is named after this shrine, and it is located within the Omihachiman City Traditional Buildings Preservation Area. The shrine has two main festivals, the and the which are both designated National Intangible Folk Cultural Properties.

History

The foundation of Himure Hachiman-gū is uncertain. According to the shine’s legend, it was founded in 131 AD when the semi-legendary

Emperor Seimu , also known as , was the 13th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Seimu's alleged ...

ordered

Takenouchi no Sukune or Takeshiuchi no Sukune was a legendary Japanese hero-statesman of the 1st century, and a Shinto kami. He is recorded in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojiki'' (ca. 712) and the ''Nihon Shoki'' ( 720). Life Takenouchi no Sukune was ...

to establish a shrine to “Oshima no Okami” at this location. However, “Ōshima no Ōkami” is identified with

Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi (; historical orthography: , ), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle of myths re ...

and thus this legend may be confused with that of the which is located nearby. In 275 AD,

Emperor Ōjin , also known as (alternatively spelled ) or , was the 15th (possibly legendary) Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events t ...

, visited

Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...

, and stayed at a temporary palace built at the location of the present shrine. During his visit, he witnessed a mysterious phenomenon in which two suns appeared in the sky at the same time. The phenomenon was considered to herald an auspicious event, and a shrine called “Himure-no-yashiro” was constructed on the site. Emperor Ōjin was later identified as the avatar of the ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

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 ...

and therefore the shrine came to be called the "Himure Hachiman-gū". In 911,

Emperor Ichijō was the 66th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 一条天皇 (66)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 986 to 1011. Biography Before he ascended to the Chrysanthe ...

, constructed a shrine on the northern peak of Mount Hachiman located behind this shrine as a branch of the Usa-Hachiman-gū. This was called the "Upper shrine", or ''Kami-no-yashiro'' with the original shrine at the foot of the mountain referred to as the "Lower shrine", or ''Shimo-no-yashiro''. In 1585,

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was a during the Sengoku period of Japan. He was the nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the unifier and ruler of Japan from 1590 to 1598. Despite being Hideyoshi's closest adult, male relative, Hidetsugu was accused of atrocities and at ...

merged the two shrines together and constructed Hachimanyama Castle on the site of the ''Kami-no-yashiro''. Although the castle was soon abandoned after he was ordered to commit ''

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

'', the

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

which had developed around the castle and the lower shrine flourished as many merchants relocated to this area after the ruin of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

Azuchi Castle was one of the primary Castles in Japan, castles of Oda Nobunaga located in the Azuchi, Shiga, Azuchi neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture. The site of the castle was designated a Monuments of Japan, National Historic Site i ...

. These traveling merchants, known as ''Ōmi shōnin'', traded widely throughout Japan, and even overseas, and adopted this shrine as their guardian deity. The Himure Hachiman-gū has a

votive tablet An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian example ...

depicting a trading vessel between Japan and Annam with prayers for a safe voyage which is a designated National Important Cultural Property. In 1876, 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

and the establishment of the

Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philos ...

under

State Shinto was Empire of Japan, 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 Kannushi, priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that ...

, the shrine was officially designated a “village shrine”. It was promoted to the rank of “prefectural shrine” in 1916. Then shrine is a 30-minute walk from

Ōmi-Hachiman Station is an interchange passenger railway station located in the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the private railway operator Ohmi Railway. Lines Ōmi-Hachiman Station is served by the Biwak ...

on then

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

Biwako Line The is the nickname used by the operator of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) to refer to the portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line (between Maibara Station and Kyoto Station) and the Hokuriku Main Line (between Maibara Station and Nagaham ...

Gallery

近江八幡市にて日牟禮八幡宮の鳥居 2012.8.26 - panoramio.jpg, Heiden and precincts Himure hachimangu01s3200.jpg, Romon Himure hachimangu06s3200.jpg, Noh Stage Himure hachimangu05s3200.jpg, Honden

References

External links

Official websiteShiga - Biwako Visitor's Guide
{{Authority control Shinto shrines in Shiga Prefecture Ōmi Province Ōmihachiman, Shiga Hachiman shrines Beppyo shrines Ken-sha

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links