Hakone Shrine
Encyclopedia
The is a Shinto shrine in the town of Hakone
in Ashigarashimo District
, Kanagawa Prefecture
, Japan
. It is also known as the . It is located on the shores of Lake Ashi
.
The main festival of the shrine is held annually on August 1.
of Hakone Shrine are , , and , collectively known as the .
There are numerous small subsidiary shrines to various kami within the shrine grounds.
official chronicles nor the Engishiki
records.
Shrine tradition asserts that it was founded during the reign of Emperor Kōshō
by yamabushi
named Mangan from Mount Komagatake and relocated to its present location in 757 AD.
By the late Heian period
, the shrine was a flourishing establishment, and according to the Azuma Kagami
, Minamoto no Yoritomo
sought assistance from the Hakone Shrine during the Gempei War after his defeat at the nearby Battle of Ishibashiyama
. Due to his success in establishing the Kamakura shogunate
, the shrine was subsequently well-supported by the samurai
classes through the Sengoku period
. Although burned down by the forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
during the Battle of Odawara, it was reconstructed by Tokugawa Ieyasu
and given a grant of 200 koku
of revenue. Subsequent generations of Tokugawa Shogun
s continued to support the shrine.
After the Meiji Restoration
, Hakone Shrine was granted the rank of Kokuhei Shōsha
under State Shinto
in 1875.
.
Hakone, Kanagawa
is a town in Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 13,339 and a density of 144 persons per km². The total area was 92.82 km².-Geography:...
in Ashigarashimo District
Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa
is an administrative district of Japan located in western Kanagawa Prefecture. Most of the mountainous district is sparsely populated, and is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.- Towns and villages :*Hakone*Yugawara*Manazuru-History:...
, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, 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...
. It is also known as the . It is located on the shores of Lake Ashi
Lake Ashi
, or Hakone Lake, Ashinoko Lake, is a scenic lake in the Hakone area of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshū, Japan. It is a crater lake that lies along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mount Hakone, a complex volcano. The lake is known for its views of Mt. Fuji and its numerous hot springs...
.
The main festival of the shrine is held annually on August 1.
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 Hakone Shrine are , , and , collectively known as the .
There are numerous small subsidiary shrines to various kami within the shrine grounds.
History
The date of Hakone Shrine’s foundation is unknown, and although apparently very ancient, its name does not appear in any of the RikkokushiRikkokushi
is a general term for Japan's six national histories chronicling the mythology and history of Japan from the earliest times to AD 887. The six histories were written at the imperial court during the eighth and ninth centuries, under order of the Emperors...
official chronicles nor the Engishiki
Engishiki
-History:In 905 Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of a new set of laws. Fujiwara no Tokihira began the task, but work stalled when he died four years later in 909. His brother Fujiwara no Tadahira continued the work in 912 eventually completing it in 927...
records.
Shrine tradition asserts that it was founded during the reign of Emperor Kōshō
Emperor Kosho
; also known as Mimatsuhikokaeshine no Mikoto; was the fifth emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 475 to 393 BC, but he may have lived in the early...
by yamabushi
Yamabushi
' are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits with a long tradition as mighty warriors endowed with supernatural powers. They follow the Shugendō doctrine, an integration of mainly esoteric Buddhism of the Shingon sect, with Tendai and Shinto elements...
named Mangan from Mount Komagatake and relocated to its present location in 757 AD.
By the late 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...
, the shrine was a flourishing establishment, and according to the Azuma Kagami
Azuma Kagami
The , or "mirror of the east", is a Japanese medieval text that chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō and his return to Kyoto in 1266...
, Minamoto no Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.-Early life and exile :Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the...
sought assistance from the Hakone Shrine during the Gempei War after his defeat at the nearby Battle of Ishibashiyama
Battle of Ishibashiyama
The ' was the first in which Minamoto Yoritomo, who was to become shogun less than a decade later, was commander of the Minamoto forces. In this, his first attempt to challenge the Taira, he was assisted by warriors from the Miura clan....
. Due to his success in establishing the Kamakura shogunate
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
, the shrine was subsequently well-supported by the samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
classes through the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
. Although burned down by the forces of 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...
during the Battle of Odawara, it was reconstructed by 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...
and given a grant of 200 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
of revenue. Subsequent generations of Tokugawa 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...
s continued to support the shrine.
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...
, Hakone Shrine was granted the rank of Kokuhei Shōsha
Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines
The The The (sometimes called simply , was an organizational aspect of the establishment of Japanese State Shinto. This system classified Shinto shrines as either official government shrines or "other" shrines...
under 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...
in 1875.
Cultural artifacts
Hakone Shrine has a small museum, in which are displayed a number of the shrine’s treasures. These include five items which are ranked as national Important Cultural PropertyImportant Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
.