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
Bunkyō
is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as ...
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of
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 ...
,
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 ...
.
Established in 458, it is now devoted to Tenjin, 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 Learning. For this reason, it is also called Yushima Tenjin.
It is located very close to
Ueno Park
is a spacious public park in the Ueno, Tokyo, Ueno district of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. The park was established in 1873 on lands formerly belonging to the Buddhist temples in Japan, temple of Kan'ei-ji. Amongst the country's first public parks, i ...
, and not far from the
University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
. It is frequently sited by prospective students hoping to pass the entrance exams, particularly in April. At this time, the temple receives many offerings of ''
ema
Ema or EMA may refer to:
Biology and medicine
* Anti-Endomysial Antibodies test
* Epithelial membrane antigen
* European Medicines Agency, a European Union agency for the evaluation of medicinal products
* European Medical Association, associa ...
'', votive tablets to petition the kami for success.
One of the most famous features of the shrine are the blossoms of his plum trees (''ume'') in the spring. In February and March, the annual festival ''Ume
Matsuri
Japanese festivals, or , are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. The origin of the word ''matsuri'' is related to the ; there are theories that the word ''matsuri'' is derived from meaning "to wait (for ...
'' is held, attracting many visitors.
History
''Yushima Tenman-gū'' was originally established for the worship of , a
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 ...
associated with sports and physical power found in
Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...
(most famously in the ''
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' and ''
Nihon Shoki
The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...
'').
In February 1355 the shrine was expanded to enshrine the kami as well. ''Tenjin'' is the
deification
Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.
The origina ...
of
Sugawara no Michizane
, or , was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in '' waka'' and '' kanshi'' poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the famed poem anthology ' ...
(845–903), a famous scholar, poet and politician from 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 Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
. As a kami he is associated to scholarship and learning. Currently both kami are enshrined in ''Yushima Tenman-gū''.
The shrine was later rebuilt in October 1455 at the behest of local warlord Ota Dokan (1432–1486), and enjoyed greater popularity during the
Edo period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
when it was visited by such Confucian scholars as Hayashi Doshun (1583–1657) and
Arai Hakuseki
was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白 ...
(1657–1725).
The current structures of ''Yushima Tenman-gū'' were rebuilt in 1995. They were made using only cypress, and following closely the tradition of
Shinto architecture
Some examples of Shinto architecture
Shinto architecture is the architecture of Japanese Shinto shrines.
With a few exceptions like Ise Grand Shrine and Izumo Taisha, Shinto shrines before Buddhism were mostly temporary structures erected t ...
.
Gallery
File:Yushima tenmangu shrine.jpg, Main hall
File:Yushima tenmangu ema.jpg,
Ema
Ema or EMA may refer to:
Biology and medicine
* Anti-Endomysial Antibodies test
* Epithelial membrane antigen
* European Medicines Agency, a European Union agency for the evaluation of medicinal products
* European Medical Association, associa ...
offered at Yushima Tenmangu
File:Yushima tenmangu inari.jpg, Inari no Kami sub-shrine
File:Reitaisai -Yushima 07.jpg, Reitaisai
File:100 views edo 117.jpg,
Hiroshige
or , born Andō Tokutarō (; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ''ukiyo-e'' artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.
Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format landscape series '' The Fifty-three Stations ...
Annual events
The yearly events and festival at ''Yushima Tenman-gū'' are:
*
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 ...
(New Year's visit) 1 – 7 January
* Ume Matsuri (Plum trees festival) 7 February – 7 March
* Tenjin-sai (The grand festival) 25 May
* Kiku Matsuri (The chrysanthemums flowers festival) 1 – 23 November
Access
There is no admission fee for visitors to enter the shrine precincts. It is open from 6 am to 8 pm (the shop from 8:30 am to 7 pm).
The entrances is at a 2-minute walk from Exit 3 of Yushima Station on the
Chiyoda Line
The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. On average, the line carries 1,447,730 passengers daily (2017), the second highest of the Tokyo Metro network, behind the Tozai Line (1,642,378).
There is a branch of Yushima Tenmangū located in the Wakahowatauchi district of
Nagano (city)
is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagano Prefecture, located in the Nagano Basin (Zenkoji Daira) in the central Chūbu region of Japan. Nagano is categorized as a Core cities of Japan, core city of Japan. Nagano City is the hig ...