is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

, Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

, 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 was built as the shrine to protect Izumii Castle (predecessor to Kanō Castle

Kano Castle

was a castle that was built during peace time in the 15th and 16th centuries, but only its ruins, including the base of the donjon and walls, remain in the present-day city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.-History:...

). As a Tenman-gū, it is dedicated to Tenjin

Tenjin (kami)

In Japanese mythology and folklore, is the Shinto kami of scholarship, the deification of a scholar, poet, and politician named Sugawara no Michizane. Ten means sky and jin means god or deity...

, the deified form of Sugawara no Michizane

Sugawara no Michizane

, also known as Kan Shōjō , a grandson of Sugawara no Kiyotomo , was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan...

. Additionally, Matsudaira Mitsushige, who first created Gifu Umbrellas

Gifu Umbrellas

, or Gifu Japanese Umbrellas, are a special product of the city of Gifu in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. They have been labeled as one of Gifu's traditional crafts.-History:...

, is also canonized on the shrine grounds. The shrine's festival is held on the third Saturday and Sunday of October each year.

History

In 1445, Saitō Toshinaga

Saito Toshinaga

was a daimyo during Japan's Muromachi period. He was the son of Saitō Sōen , shugo of Mino Province, and the older brother of Saitō Myōchin, making him the uncle of the warlord Saitō Dōsan. By his first wife, he was the father of Saitō Toshifuji and Saitō Noriaki...

 constructed Izumii Castle (泉井城 Izumii-jō) and, at the same time, commissioned the construction of the Tenman-gū for the god that would protect the castle. (Other records indicate that the shrine was first constructed in 1350.) Even after Izumii Castle was abandoned in 1538, people were still being enshrined in the Tenman-gū after their deaths.

Okudaira Nobumasa built Kanō Castle in 1601 and moved the shrine to its current location and named it Kanō Tenman-gū.

In 1810, nearly four centuries after its construction, the shrine's haiden

Haiden (Shinto)

In Shinto shrine architecture, the is the hall of worship or oratory. It is generally placed in front of the shrine's main sanctuary and often built on a larger scale than the latter. The haiden is often connected to the honden by a heiden, or hall of offerings...

(拝殿 prayer hall) was rebuilt. This structure, however, was damaged on October 28, 1891 when the Mino-Owari earthquake

1891 Mino-Owari earthquake

The was a large earthquake that struck the former provinces of Mino and Owari in the Nōbi Plain area during the Meiji period in Japan. It is also referred to as the Nōbi Earthquake or the Great Nōbi Earthquake . It is the largest known inland earthquake in Japan.-History:The earthquake struck on...

 struck the area. The shrine was again damaged in 1945, during the fire bombing of Gifu during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Most of the shrines buildings were lost to fire, but the haiden remained.

An early reconstruction of the honden

Honden

The , is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue. The building is normally in the rear of the shrine and closed to the general public. In front of its usually stands the haiden, or...

, or main shine, took place in 1948, but it was again rebuilt in 2003. At the same time, the float

Float (parade)

A float is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades, such as those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnival of Viareggio, the Maltese Carnival, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Key West Fantasy Fest parade, the...

carrying tradition that was stopped after WWII was brought back as part of the Kanō Tenman-gū Festival.