Atsuta Shrine

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Atsuta Shrine

is a Shinto

Shinto

is the former state religion of Japan and remains the most common name for the nation's non-Buddhist ethnic religion practices. It was formed from disparate local mythologies, beginning with the Kojiki of 712, into an imperial cult called State Shinto that solidified in the Meiji period....
shrine located in Atsuta-ku

Atsuta-ku, Nagoya

is one of the Wards of Japan of the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Atsuta is a place that prospers as a shrine town in Atsuta Shrine. There is a headquarters of large rolling stock manufacturer Nippon Sharyo....
, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tokai region of the Chubu region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chukyo Metropolitan Area....
in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of 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 familiarly known as Atsuta-Sama (Venerable Atsuta) or simply as Miya (the Shrine). Since ancient times, it has been especially revered, ranking with the Great Shrine of Ise

Ise Shrine

Ise Shrine is a Jinja dedicated to goddess Amaterasu, located in the city of Ise, Mie in Mie prefecture, Japan....
.

The 200,000 m²shrine complex draws over 9 million visitors annually.

rding to Japan's oldest surviving book, the Kojiki
Kojiki

, is the oldest surviving book in Japan. The body of the Kojiki is written in Chinese language, but it includes numerous Japanese names and some phrases....
, Atsuta Shrine was originally founded to house the Kusanagi no Tsurugi
Kusanagi

is a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japan's history as Excalibur is to Great Britain, and is one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was originally called Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi but its name was later changed to the more popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ....
.

The shrine's buildings were maintained by donations from a number of benefactors, including well-known Sengaku period figures like Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of History of Japan. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province....
, Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified 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, after Hideyoshi's castle....
and the Tokugawa

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
s.

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is a Shinto

Shinto

Atsuta-ku, Nagoya

Aichi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tokai region of the Chubu region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chukyo Metropolitan Area....
in Japan

Japan

Ise Shrine

Ise Shrine is a Jinja dedicated to goddess Amaterasu, located in the city of Ise, Mie in Mie prefecture, Japan....
.

The 200,000 m²shrine complex draws over 9 million visitors annually.

History

According to Japan's oldest surviving book, the Kojiki
Kojiki

, is the oldest surviving book in Japan. The body of the Kojiki is written in Chinese language, but it includes numerous Japanese names and some phrases....
, Atsuta Shrine was originally founded to house the Kusanagi no Tsurugi
Kusanagi

is a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japan's history as Excalibur is to Great Britain, and is one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was originally called Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi but its name was later changed to the more popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ....
.

The shrine's buildings were maintained by donations from a number of benefactors, including well-known Sengaku period figures like Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of History of Japan. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province....
, Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
s. For example, the Nobunaga-Bei, a 7.4 m high roofed mud wall, was donated to the shrine in 1560 by Nobunaga as a token of gratitude for his victory at the Battle of Okehazama

Battle of Okehazama

The took place in June 1560. In this battle, Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and established himself as one of the front-running warlords in the Sengoku period....
.

In 1893, it was remodeled using the Shinmeizukuri architectural style, the same style used in the building of Ise Shrine

Ise Shrine

Ise Shrine is a Jinja dedicated to goddess Amaterasu, located in the city of Ise, Mie in Mie prefecture, Japan....
. Before a celebration in 1935, the shrine's buildings as well as other facilities were completely rearranged and improved in order to better reflect the history and cultural significance of the shrine.

During the bombings of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, however, many of Atsuta Shrine's buildings were destroyed by fire. The shrine's main buildings, such as the honden
Honden

File:Ube Shrine honden.jpegThe , also called is the Most Holy Place at a Shinto Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue....
, were reconstructed and completed in 1955. Following the completion of these buildings, construction of other buildings continued on the shrine grounds. In 1966 the Treasure Hall was completed in order to house the shrine's collection of objects, manuscripts and documents.

Shinto belief

This Shinto shrine is dedicated to the veneration of Atsuta-no-Ookami. Also enshrined are the "Five Great Gods of Atsuta", all of whom are connected with the legendary narratives of the sacred sword -- Amaterasu-Oomikami

Amaterasu

, or is in Japanese mythology a Solar deity and perhaps the most important Shinto . Her name, Amaterasu, means literally " illuminates Heaven"....
, Takehaya Susanoo-no-mikoto

Susanoo

is the Shinto god of the sea and storms....
, Yamato Takeru-no-mikoto

Yamato Takeru

, originally Prince Ousu was a Japanese legendary prince of the Yamato dynasty, son of Emperor Keiko, a legendary monarch who is traditionally counted as the 12th Tenno or Emperor of Japan....
, Miyasu-hime no-mikoto, and Take Inadane-no-mikoto.

Atsuta is the traditional repository of Kusanagi no Tsurugi

Kusanagi

is a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japan's history as Excalibur is to Great Britain, and is one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was originally called Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi but its name was later changed to the more popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ....
, the ancient sword wich is considered one of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan

Imperial Regalia of Japan

The , also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consist of the sword, Kusanagi , the gemstone or necklace of jewels, Magatama#Yasakani no Magatama , and the mirror Yata no kagami ....
. Central to the Shinto significance of Atsuta Shrine is the sacred sword which understood to be a gift from Amaterasu Omikami. This unique object has represented the authority and stature of Japan's emperors since time immemorial. Kasunagi is imbued with Amaterasu's spirit.

During the reign of Emperor Sujin

Emperor Sujin

; also known as Mimakiiribikoinie no Sumeramikoto or Hatsukunishirasu Sumeramikoto; was the 10th emperor of Japan to appear on the traditional Emperors of Japan....
, duplicates copies of the Imperial regalia were made in order to safeguard the originals from theft. This fear of theft proved to be justified during the reign of Emperor Tenji

Emperor Tenji

Emperor Tenji , also known as Emperor Tenchi was the 38th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. The years of Emperor Tenji's reign spanned 661 through 672....
when the sacred sword was stolen from Atsuta; and it was not to be returned until the reign of Emperor Temmu

Emperor Temmu

was the 40th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 672 until his death in 686....
. Althought not seen by the general public since that time, it is said to have remained in safekeeping at the shrine up to the present day.

Treasures

The shrine's Bunkaden, or treasure hall, houses over 4,000 relics, which include 174 Important Cultural Properties and a dagger

Dagger

A dagger is a typically double-edged blade used for stabbing or thrusting. They often fulfill the role of a companion weapon in close combat....
that is a designated National Treasure of Japan

National treasures of Japan

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the government of Japan designates the most famous of the nation's cultural properties as National Treasures ....
. Atsuta Jingu Museum preserves and displays a variety of historic material, including the koshinpoh (sacred garments, furniture and utensils for use of the enshrined deities). A number of donated swords, mirrors and other objects are held by the shrine, including Bugaku masks and other material associated with ancient court dances. The Bukaden collection ranges from ancient documents to household articles. Aichi Prefecture has designated 174 items as important cultural assets.

Festivals

Over 70 ceremonies and festivals

Japanese festivals

Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Traditional Chinese holidayss but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs.These Japanese festival has deep root in Nepal.Concept of these festivals transported to China from Nepal then from China to Japan....
are held annually at the shrine.

Hatsu-Ebisu (January 5th): Seeking good fortune in the new year from Ebisu, the kami of Fortune.
Yodameshi Shinji (January 7th): The projected annual rainfall for the coming year is prophesized by measuring the amount of water in a pot kept underneath the floor of the Eastern Treasure House.
Touka Shinji (January 11th): A variation on an annual ceremony (Touka-no-sechie) of the Imperial Court in the Heian period
Heian period

The is the last division of classical History of Japan, running from 794 to 1185. It is the period in Japanese history when Confucianism and other Chinese culture were at their height....
(10th-12th Century), the shrine dance becomes a prayer in movement hoping for bumper crops of the year.
Hosha Shinji (January 15th): Ceremonial which involves shooting an arrow at a wooden piece called chigi fixed at the center of a huge mark.

Bugaku Shinji (May 1st): A ceremonial dance from the Heian era is performed outdoors on a red painted stage.
Eyoudo Shinji (May 4th): A festival to commemorate the return of the sacred sword in the reign of Emperor Tenji
Emperor Tenji

Emperor Tenji , also known as Emperor Tenchi was the 38th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. The years of Emperor Tenji's reign spanned 661 through 672....
.
Shinyo-Togyo Shinji (May 5th): A festival in which portable shrine (mikoshi
Mikoshi

A is a portable Shinto shrine. Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle of a divine spirit in Japan at the time of a parade of deities....
) is carried in a formal procession to the Western Gate, where ceremonies and prayers for the security of the Imperial Palace are performed in the open air. In the Meiji period and Taisho period, this procession moved in sober and solemn silence. The ceremony at the gate was brief, lasting only 20 minutes; and then the mikoshi and its attendants returned back into the Shrine precincts. Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa
Ashikaga Yoshimasa

was the 8th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1449 to 1473 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimasa was the son of the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori....
provided a new mikoshi and a complete set of robes and other accouterments for this festival on the occasion of repairs to the shrine in the 1457-1459 (Choroku
Choroku

was a after Kosho and before Kansho. This period spanned the years from 1457 through 1460. The reigning emperor was .Change of era...
1-3).

Rei Sai (June 5th): Portable tabernacles (mikoshi) in various styles are carried along the approaches to the shrine; and at night, groups of 365 lanterns (makiwara) appear lit at the gates. This festival commemorates an Imperial proclamation (semmyo) issued in 1872 (Meiji 5). After 1906 (Meiji 39), exhibitions of judo
Judo

, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
, fencing (gekken), and archery (kyudo
Kyudo

, literally meaning "Tao of the bow ", is the Japanese art of archery. It is a modern Japanese martial art .It is estimated that there are approximately half a million practitioners of kyudo today....
) are presented for the gratification of the kami.

Atsuta Shrine

History

Shinto belief

Treasures

Festivals

See also

External links