Akihasan Hongū Akiha Jinja
Encyclopedia
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 Akiha shrines around the country.
The main festival of the shrine is held annually over three nights in December, and features ceremonies using huge flares and other fireworks.
of Akibasan Hongū Akiba Jinja is the , the kami associated with protection against fires. During the Edo period
, this kami was popularly called the and was identified with Kannon Bosatsu under the Shinbutsu shūgō
system of combined Buddhism
and Shinto
.
. It was named from a poem written by Emperor Saga
in 709. During the Heian period
it became a center for the Shugendō
cult and was associated with the Shingon sect
, although much of its subsequent history is uncertain.
After the start of the Tokugawa bakufu, retired Shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu
ordered the temple to convert to the Sōtō Zen
sect. Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
in particular favored its blend of Shinto, Buddhism and Shugendō, and promoted the spread of the Akiha cult throughout the country to provide protection against fires. Despite its remote mountain location, the temple became a popular pilgrimage detour from the Tōkaidō
for pilgrims on their way to Ise Shrine
or Kompira Shrine, or on their way back to Edo.
However, in 1685, the government banned the traditional ceremony of carrying the shrine's mikoshi
along the Tōkaidō Mount Akiha towards Edo
and Kyoto
, for fear that the riotous procession would disturb public order. The ban conversely helped spread the Akiha cult throughout the country through the establishment of numerous branch shrines, especially in the Chubu region
of Japan. Major Sōtō temples and monasteries often established a small Akiha shrine within their grounds.
After the Meiji Restoration
, and the 1872 laws separating Buddhism and Shinto
, the Shugendō cult was abolished, Buddhist images and implements were removed from the mountain to a new temple in Fukuroi
and in 1873, the Akiha temple was proclaimed to be the “Akiha Shrine”. The shrine was regarded as a prefectural shrine under the State Shinto
system. Most of the structures of the burned down in 1943, and were not restored until 1986.
The shrine has a small museum preserving remaining artifacts, including a number of swords presented as offerings by Imagawa Nakaaki, Takeda Shingen
, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
and Katō Kiyomasa
.
Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu
is one of the seven wards of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is bordered by Kita-ku and Hamakita-ku in Hamamatsu, the cities of Shimada and Iwata and towns of Mori and Kawanehon in Shizuoka, Shishiro, Tōei and Toyone in Aichi Prefecture and Iida and Tenryū in Nagano...
(the former town of Haruno
Haruno, Shizuoka
was a town located in Shūchi District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Haruno was founded as a town on September 30, 1956.On July 1, 2005 Haruno, along with the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata...
in Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
). The shrine is located near the summit of Mount Akiha, on the southern slopes of the Akaishi Mountains
Akaishi Mountains
is a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. It is also called the , as it joins with the Hida Mountains and the Kiso Mountains to form the Japanese Alps....
. It is the head shrine of the 800 Akiha shrines around the country.
The main festival of the shrine is held annually over three nights in December, and features ceremonies using huge flares and other fireworks.
Enshrined kami
The primary kamiKami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
of Akibasan Hongū Akiba Jinja is the , the kami associated with protection against fires. During the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, this kami was popularly called the and was identified with Kannon Bosatsu under the Shinbutsu shūgō
Shinbutsu Shugo
, literally "syncretism of kami and buddhas" is the syncretism of Buddhism and kami worship which was Japan's religion until the Meiji period...
system of combined Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
.
History
Per shrine tradition, the Akibasan Hongū Akiha Jinja was established in 701 as a Buddhist temple by the famed priest GyōkiGyoki
was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province , to family of Korean Baekje descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-dera temple in Nara at the age of 15, and studied under master Dōshō as one of his first pupils. Gyōki studied Yogacara , a core doctrine of...
. It was named from a poem written by Emperor Saga
Emperor Saga
was the 52nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.-Traditional narrative:...
in 709. During the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
it became a center for the Shugendō
Shugendo
is a highly syncretic Buddhic religion or sect and mystical-spiritual tradition which originated in pre-Feudal Japan, in which enlightenment is equated with attaining oneness with the . This perception of experiential "awakening" is obtained through the understanding of the relationship between...
cult and was associated with the Shingon sect
Shingon Buddhism
is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
, although much of its subsequent history is uncertain.
After the start of the Tokugawa bakufu, retired Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
ordered the temple to convert to the Sōtō Zen
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
sect. Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
was the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, thus making him the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
in particular favored its blend of Shinto, Buddhism and Shugendō, and promoted the spread of the Akiha cult throughout the country to provide protection against fires. Despite its remote mountain location, the temple became a popular pilgrimage detour from the Tōkaidō
Tokaido (road)
The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....
for pilgrims on their way to Ise Shrine
Ise Shrine
is a Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, Japan. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is in fact a shrine complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and ....
or Kompira Shrine, or on their way back to Edo.
However, in 1685, the government banned the traditional ceremony of carrying the shrine's mikoshi
Mikoshi
A is a divine palanquin . 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 moving to a new shrine...
along the Tōkaidō Mount Akiha towards Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
and Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, for fear that the riotous procession would disturb public order. The ban conversely helped spread the Akiha cult throughout the country through the establishment of numerous branch shrines, especially in the Chubu region
Chubu region
The is the central region of Honshū, Japan's main island. Chūbu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chūbu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures : Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie.It is located directly...
of Japan. Major Sōtō temples and monasteries often established a small Akiha shrine within their grounds.
After the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, and the 1872 laws separating Buddhism and Shinto
Shinbutsu Bunri
The term in Japanese indicates the forbidding by law of the amalgamation of kami and buddhas made during the Meiji Restoration. It also indicates the effort made by the Japanese government to create a clear division between native kami beliefs and Buddhism on one side, and Buddhist temples and...
, the Shugendō cult was abolished, Buddhist images and implements were removed from the mountain to a new temple in Fukuroi
Fukuroi, Shizuoka
is a city located in Shizuoka, Japan. As of February 2009, the city had an estimated population of 85,985 and a density of 792 persons per km². The total area is 108.56 km².-Geography:...
and in 1873, the Akiha temple was proclaimed to be the “Akiha Shrine”. The shrine was regarded as a prefectural shrine under the State Shinto
State Shinto
has been called the state religion of the Empire of Japan, although it did not exist as a single institution and no "Shintō" was ever declared a state religion...
system. Most of the structures of the burned down in 1943, and were not restored until 1986.
The shrine has a small museum preserving remaining artifacts, including a number of swords presented as offerings by Imagawa Nakaaki, Takeda Shingen
Takeda Shingen
, of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...
, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
and Katō Kiyomasa
Kato Kiyomasa
was a Japanese daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period.-Origins and early career:Kiyomasa was born in Owari Province to Katō Kiyotada. Kiyotada's wife, Ito, was a cousin of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mother. Kiyotada died while his son was still young...
.