Itatehyozu Shrine (Japanese: 板手兵主神社, Itatehyōzu Jinja) 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 ...

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is ...

, Hyōgo,

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 ...

. It is located just outside of

Himeji Castle () is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 rooms with adva ...

. It is renowned for its Single Mountain Rite held every 60 years and Three Mountains Rite held every 20 years. The shrine's rituals are related to rituals at Iwa Shrine a famous nearby shrine. It is a

Sōja shrine in Sōja, Okayama, where 304 ''kami'' of Bitchu Province are collectively worshipped is a type of Shinto shrine where the ''kami'' of a region are grouped together into a single sanctuary. This "region" may refer to a ''shōen'', village or geog ...

and enshrines all the gods of

Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During th ...

. It is a

Beppyo shrine A ''Beppyō'' shrine () is a category of Shinto shrine, as defined by the Association of Shinto Shrines. They are considered to be remarkable in some way, and thus given a higher status than other shrines. It is considered the successor to the mo ...

, or a shrine that is particularly notable in a certain way with a significant history to it. It is a

. It enshrines all 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 ...

of the shrines in

. Whenever a new governor of Harima Province was appointed he would be sent to the shrine to worship all the gods of the province.

Ichinomiya is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...

and Soja are not the same thing but were sometimes combined. In this case the Iwa Shrine is the Province's Ichinomiya, and uniquely their rituals are highly intertwined.

Rituals

The Itatehyozu Shrine follows a distinct cycle for its two principal rites. The Single Mountain Rite is performed once every sixty years, while the Three Mountains Rite takes place every twenty years. This is the reverse of the rites at Iwa Shrine in which the three mountains rite is every sixty years and the single mountain rite is every twenty years. It is said this similarity happened because the Iwa deity was invited to Itatehyōzu Shrine in ancient times through Kanjō.

Three Mountains Rite

Every twenty years, the Three Mountains Rite takes place at Itatehyōzu Shrine. This is to worship the three mountains. Iwa Shrine in

Shisō, Hyōgo is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 35,639 in 14694 households and a population density of 110 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Shisō is located in the midwestern part of ...

also holds these rites, but it does so every sixty years instead. At Itatehyōzu Shrine, there is a week-long event. A bamboo and cloth mountain is built. It is fifteen meters high. It is placed at the shrine's entrance. A small shrine is put on top of this. Food offerings are made. These offerings include mochi.

Single Mountain Rite

The Single Mountain Rite is a festival at Itatehyōzu Shrine. It happens every sixty years. The shrine is in Ichinomiya Town, Shisō County, Hyōgo Prefecture. The festival honors Mt. Miya. This mountain is said to be the tomb of Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto. One month before the festival, a new shrine is placed on the mountain top. A white flag is raised. The festival includes worshipping three mountains from afar. These are Mt. Takahata, Mt. Hanasaki, and Mt. Shirakura. A sacred palanquin is also carried to the river valley.

References

Beppyo shrines Ken-sha Shinto shrines in Hyōgo Prefecture Sōja shrines Shikinai Shosha Hyogo Prefecture designated tangible cultural property Prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property {{shinto shrines