Chinjusha
Encyclopedia
In Japanese is a Shinto shrine which enshrines a , that is a spirit protecting a given area, village, building or Buddhist temple
. The Imperial Palace has its own tutelary shrine dedicated to the 21 guardian gods of Ise Shrine
. Tutelary shrines are usually very small, but can sometimes be very large, and the great Hiyoshi Taisha
for example is Enryaku-ji
's tutelary shrine. The tutelary shrine of a temple or the complex the two together form are sometimes called a . If a tutelary shrine is called chinju-dō
, it is the tutelary shrine of a Buddhist temple. Even in that case, however, the shrine retains its distinctive architecture
.
of ujigami
(clan's tutelary ancestor) and , however the three words had originally a different meaning. While the first refers to a clan's ancestor and the second to the tutelary kami of one's birthplace, chinjugami is the tutelary kami of a given place, highly respected and venerated. The concepts were however sufficiently close to fuse together with the passing of time.
. (For details, see article Shinbutsu shūgō
) One of the first such efforts was made during the Nara period
(710 - 794) with the founding of so-called shrine-temples (jingū-ji
), complexes consisting of a shrine dedicated to some kami and of a Buddhist temple. This syncretic solution is believed to have its roots in the Chinese qié-lán-shen ( in Japanese), tutelary gods of Chinese temples.
The reason for Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines to be constructed together was the belief that kami, like humans, needed salvation through the power of Buddha
. Kami were then thought to be subject to karma
and reincarnation like human beings, and early Buddhist stories tell how that the task of helping suffering kami was assumed by wandering monks. A local kami would appear in a dream to the monk, telling him about his suffering. To improve the kami's karma through Buddhist rites and the reading of sūtra
s, the monk would build a temple next to the kami's shrine. Such groupings were created already in the 7th century, for example in Usa
, Kyūshū, where kami Hachiman
was worshiped together with Miroku Bosatsu (Maitreya
) at Usa Hachiman-gū. As a result of the creation of shrine-temple complexes, many shrines that had until then been just an open-air site became Buddhist style groupings of buildings.
At the end of the same century, Hachiman was declared to be the Dharma
's tutelary kami and, a little later, a bodhisattva
. Shrines for him started to be built at temples (the so-called temple-shrines, or jisha), marking an important step ahead in the process of amalgamation of kami worship and Buddhist cults. When the great Buddha at Tōdai-ji
in Nara
was built, within the temple grounds was also erected a shrine for Hachiman, according to the legend because of a wish expressed by the kami himself. After this, temples in the entire country adopted tutelary kami like Hachiman and built shrines for them.
This tendency to see kami as tutelary deities was strengthened during the Edo period
(1603–1868) by the terauke system
. Because all shrines were by law owned and managed by a Buddhist temple, many of their kami came to be viewed as the temple's tutelary kami.
As a result, until the Meiji period (1868–1912) the vast majority of all shrines were small, had no permanent priest and belonged to a Buddhist temple. With very few exceptions like Ise Shrine
and Izumo Taisha
, they were just part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy. Because they enshrined a local and minor tutelary kami, they were called with the name of the kami followed by terms like gongen
(avatar
), ubusuna, or . The term , now the most common, was rare. Examples of this kind of pre-Meiji use are and Kanda Myōjin
.
Buddhist temples in Japan
Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
. The Imperial Palace has its own tutelary shrine dedicated to the 21 guardian gods of 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 ....
. Tutelary shrines are usually very small, but can sometimes be very large, and the great Hiyoshi Taisha
Hiyoshi Taisha
is a Shinto shrine located in Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan. The and the have been designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as National Treasures in the category shrines.- History :Hiyoshi Taisha was first recorded in Kojiki, written in the 8th century...
for example is Enryaku-ji
Enryaku-ji
thumb|300px|Konpon Chū-dō , Enryaku-ji's main hall is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was founded during the early Heian period. The temple complex was established by Saichō , also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism...
's tutelary shrine. The tutelary shrine of a temple or the complex the two together form are sometimes called a . If a tutelary shrine is called chinju-dō
Dō (architecture)
is a Japanese word for building. It is very often used in Japanese Buddhism as a suffix in the name of some of the many buildings that can be part of a Japanese temple compound. The prefix can be the name of a deity associated with it is a Japanese word for building. It is very often used in...
, it is the tutelary shrine of a Buddhist temple. Even in that case, however, the shrine retains its distinctive architecture
Shinto architecture
Shinto architecture is the architecture of Japanese Shinto shrines.With a few exceptions, the general blueprint of a Shinto shrine is Buddhist in origin. Before Buddhism, shrines were just temporary structures erected to a particular purpose. Buddhism brought to Japan the idea of permanent shrines...
.
Chinjugami
A chinjugami is the tutelary kami of a specific area or building, as for example a village or Buddhist temple. The term today is a synonymSynonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
of ujigami
Ujigami
An is a guardian god or spirit of a particular place in the Shinto religion of Japan.- Usage :The ujigami was prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests.- History :...
(clan's tutelary ancestor) and , however the three words had originally a different meaning. While the first refers to a clan's ancestor and the second to the tutelary kami of one's birthplace, chinjugami is the tutelary kami of a given place, highly respected and venerated. The concepts were however sufficiently close to fuse together with the passing of time.
History
The frequent presence, even today, of a Shinto shrine near or within a Buddhist temple has its roots in the efforts made by the Japanese to reconcile local kami worship with imported BuddhismBuddhism in Japan
The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods, namely the Nara period , the Heian period and the post-Heian period . Each period saw the introduction of new doctrines and upheavals in existing schools...
. (For details, see article 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...
) One of the first such efforts was made during the Nara period
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...
(710 - 794) with the founding of so-called shrine-temples (jingū-ji
Jingū-ji
Until the Meiji period , the Japanese were places of worship composed of a Buddhist temple and of a shrine dedicated to a local kami. These complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its kami. At the time, deities were thought to be also subjected to karma, and...
), complexes consisting of a shrine dedicated to some kami and of a Buddhist temple. This syncretic solution is believed to have its roots in the Chinese qié-lán-shen ( in Japanese), tutelary gods of Chinese temples.
The reason for Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines to be constructed together was the belief that kami, like humans, needed salvation through the power of Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
. Kami were then thought to be subject to karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
and reincarnation like human beings, and early Buddhist stories tell how that the task of helping suffering kami was assumed by wandering monks. A local kami would appear in a dream to the monk, telling him about his suffering. To improve the kami's karma through Buddhist rites and the reading of sūtra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
s, the monk would build a temple next to the kami's shrine. Such groupings were created already in the 7th century, for example in Usa
Usa, Oita
' is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Usa is famous for being the location of the Usa Shrine, built in 725, the head shrine of all of Hachiman shrines in Japan.Usa is made up of three areas.*Usa, the area surrounding the Usa Shrine...
, Kyūshū, where kami Hachiman
Hachiman
In Japanese mythology, is the Japanese syncretic god of archery and war, incorporating elements from both Shinto and Buddhism. Although often called the god of war, he is more correctly defined as the tutelary god of warriors. He is also divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people...
was worshiped together with Miroku Bosatsu (Maitreya
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
) at Usa Hachiman-gū. As a result of the creation of shrine-temple complexes, many shrines that had until then been just an open-air site became Buddhist style groupings of buildings.
At the end of the same century, Hachiman was declared to be the Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
's tutelary kami and, a little later, a bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
. Shrines for him started to be built at temples (the so-called temple-shrines, or jisha), marking an important step ahead in the process of amalgamation of kami worship and Buddhist cults. When the great Buddha at Tōdai-ji
Todai-ji
, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
in Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
was built, within the temple grounds was also erected a shrine for Hachiman, according to the legend because of a wish expressed by the kami himself. After this, temples in the entire country adopted tutelary kami like Hachiman and built shrines for them.
This tendency to see kami as tutelary deities was strengthened 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....
(1603–1868) by the terauke system
Danka system
The , also known as is a system of voluntary and long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households in use in Japan since the Heian period. In it, households financially support a Buddhist temple which, in exchange, provides for their spiritual needs...
. Because all shrines were by law owned and managed by a Buddhist temple, many of their kami came to be viewed as the temple's tutelary kami.
As a result, until the Meiji period (1868–1912) the vast majority of all shrines were small, had no permanent priest and belonged to a Buddhist temple. With very few exceptions like 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 ....
and Izumo Taisha
Izumo Taisha
is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi , famous as the Shinto deity of marriage.A style of architecture,...
, they were just part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy. Because they enshrined a local and minor tutelary kami, they were called with the name of the kami followed by terms like gongen
Gongen
During the era of shinbutsu shūgō , in Japan a During the era of shinbutsu shūgō (religious syncretism of kami and buddhas), in Japan a During the era of shinbutsu shūgō (religious syncretism of kami and buddhas), in Japan a ( was believed to be a Japanese kami which was really just the local...
(avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
), ubusuna, or . The term , now the most common, was rare. Examples of this kind of pre-Meiji use are and Kanda Myōjin
Kanda Shrine
, is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The shrine dates back 1,270 years, but the current structure was rebuilt several times due to fire and earthquakes. It is situated in one of the most expensive estate areas of Tokyo...
.
Examples of tutelary shrine
- As we have seen, Hachiman played an important role in the evolution of temple-shrines, and is still the tutelary kami of many important temples, among them Tōdai-jiTodai-ji, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
, Daian-jiDaian-jiwas founded during the Asuka period and is one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara, Japan.-History:The Nihon Shoki records the founding of the , predecessor of the Daian-ji, in 639 during the reign of Emperor Jomei. A nine story pagoda was added shortly afterwards...
, Yakushi-jiYakushi-jiis one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan, located in Nara. The temple is the headquarters of the Hossō school of Japanese Buddhism...
and Tō-jiTo-jiis a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. Its name means East Temple, and it once had a partner, Sai-ji . They stood alongside the Rashomon, the gate to the Heian capital. It is formally known as which indicates that it previously functioned as a temple providing protection for the...
. - Akiha shrines practice a fire protection cult which originated at Akihasan Hongū Akiha JinjaAkihasan Hongū Akiha JinjaThe is a Shinto shrine in Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu . The shrine is located near the summit of Mount Akiha, on the southern slopes of the Akaishi Mountains...
in Shizuoka prefecture. Because during the Edo period the shrine was under the administration of neighboring Sōtō ZenZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
temple Shūyō-ji, many affiliated Akiha shrines are the tutelary shrines of a Sōtō temple. - During the Japanese Middle Ages, many estates belonging to Kōfuku-jiKofuku-jiis a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school and is one of the eight Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.-History:...
and its tutelary shrine Kasuga Taisha were given the Kasuga kami as a tutelary kami, leading to the spread of such shrines to the whole country. - Kami Inari is often the tutelary kami of Buddhist temples.
- The great Hiyoshi TaishaHiyoshi Taishais a Shinto shrine located in Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan. The and the have been designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as National Treasures in the category shrines.- History :Hiyoshi Taisha was first recorded in Kojiki, written in the 8th century...
, head of a network of more than 4000 shrines, is Enryaku-jiEnryaku-jithumb|300px|Konpon Chū-dō , Enryaku-ji's main hall is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was founded during the early Heian period. The temple complex was established by Saichō , also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism...
's chinjusha.