The , named the until 1964, is a

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

shrine located in

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

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 ...

. Sited in

Maruyama Park is a park in Kyoto, Japan. It is noted as the main center for cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto, and can get extremely crowded at that time of year (April). The park's star attraction is a weeping cherry tree (''shidarezakura'') which becomes ...

, Chūō-ku,

, the Hokkaido Shrine enshrines four ''

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 ...

'' including the soul of the

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

. A number of early explorers of Hokkaidō such as

Mamiya Rinzō was a Japanese Exploration, explorer of the late Edo period. He is best known for his exploration of Karafuto, now known as Sakhalin. He mapped areas of northeast Asia then unknown to Japanese. Biography Mamiya was born in 1775 in Tsukuba Dist ...

are also enshrined.

History

In 1869, by an order of the Emperor Meiji, a ceremony to enshrine three kami (Shinto deities); ,

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 Sukunahikona, was held in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. They were enshrined as the , and they were later moved to Sapporo by officers in the Kaitakushi, the previous government of Hokkaidō prefecture.Hokkaido Jingu, History of the Hokkaido Jingu and kami
An interim building of the shrine for three kami was constructed in 1870 in Sapporo, although its location was different from the current point where the Hokkaidō Shrine stands. In 1871, the shrine was erected in its current place and named "Sapporo Shrine" (Sapporo Jinja), and on September 14 an inaugural ceremony was held. The three pioneer deities were important in the development of a "pioneer theology" which was significant to the early development of

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 ...

. In 1964, ''Sapporo-jinja'' was renamed the "Hokkaidō Shrine" (Hokkaidō Jingū) and officially upgraded to one of the , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. The soul of Emperor Meiji was also newly enshrined there in 1964. The building was destroyed by a fire in 1974, but was later restored in 1978.

Overview

The area of the Hokkaido Shrine is 180,000 m², and is adjacent to

. During the season which

cherry blossom The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

s in the area bloom, the shrine is crowded with people enjoying

Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always mean those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the s ...

. Many people also visit the shrine during

Japanese New Year The is an annual festival that takes place in Japan. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, . Prior to 1872, traditional events of the Japanese New Year wer ...

to go

Hatsumōde is one of the major Japanese traditions of the new year, which is the first visit to a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year. Typically taking place on the first, second, or third day of the year, it is meant to bring a ...

. From June 14 to 16 in every year, the Main festival of Hokkaido Shrine, also called "Sapporo Festival" (Sapporo Matsuri), is held, and the line of people bearing

Mikoshi A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...

parades down the street which leads to the shrine. It also manages

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

activities.1st Boyscouting in Sapporo

Notes

References

* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1962)
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 399449
* _______________. (1963)
''The Viciissitudes of Shinto.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.
OCLC 186605327

External links

Hokkaido Jingu (Hokkaido Shrine) Web Site

Hokkaido Jingu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hokkaido Shrine Kanpei Taisha Jingū Religious buildings and structures completed in 1871 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1978 Buildings and structures in Chūō-ku, Sapporo Shinto shrines in Hokkaido 1869 establishments in Japan Religious organizations established in 1869 Tourist attractions in Sapporo Beppyo shrines Shinmei-zukuri

History

Overview

See also

Notes

References

External links