Hikawa shrine
The Hikawa Shrine ( Japanese 氷川 神社 , Hikawa-jinja ) is a Shinto shrine in the Ōmiya-ku district of Saitama city in the Japanese prefecture of Saitama .
history
In feudal Japan, the Hikawa Shrine was the ichi-no-miya ("First Shrine") of Musashi Province .
Until the Meiji Restoration (1868), the priesthood at the shrine was hereditary. In the same year, the Meiji - tennō paid a visit to the shrine on October 28 as part of his residence in Tokyo and raised him to the rank of Chokusaisha . There the Tennō issued an edict on this occasion, in which it said: “The worship of the gods and the observance of the [Shinto] ceremonies, these are the great characteristics of the empire and the fundamental principles of nationalism and national education ... Saisei -itchi should be restored ".
The last new building of the shrine was built in 1881.
Kami and shrines
According to legend, the Hikawa shrine was built 2,400 and 2,500 years ago on the site of the Hi River, where Susanoo , the main kami of the shrine, slew the dragon Yamatanoorochi (the river is called Ara-kawa at this point , “River of Wrath ").
Guest kami ( aidono-no-kami ) of the shrine are Ō-kuni-nushi-no-mikoto and Ō-kushi-inada-hime-no-mikoto . Their go-shintai are in Hi-no-ōji-sha and in Jo-tai-sha , which Susanoo keeps in Nan-tai-sha .
In a side shrine ( sessha ), the Monkakujin-jinja , the parents of the Inada-hime, Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi , are entombed.
On a tiny island in a pond on the shrine grounds is a small side shrine ( massha ) where the Munakata kami are worshiped , especially by local geisha .
Festivals
Major festivals at Hikawa Shrine take place on February 7th and March 15th.
A Matsuri is held on April 15th in honor of Ō-kushi-nada-hime.
On August 1st, the shrine celebrates its annual festival ( reisai ) at which the imperial messenger ( chokushi ) is present. Particularly famous are the performances of azuma-asobi ( 東 遊 ), a special kind of dance music (see Gagaku ) that are presented on this occasion .
Daitō-Matsuri is celebrated from November 30th up to and including December 9th. On this occasion, one hundred kinds of food are offered to the Ō-kuni-nushi. A fire will be kept going on the shrine grounds through December 10th.
On December 10th the big fire festival takes place, which has been celebrated at the shrine since the 17th century. Fishing and agricultural goods are sacrificed to Ō-kuni-nushi.
During the traditional New Year's visits ( hatsumōde ) 2008/2009, 2.05 million people visited the shrine, making it the most visited in the prefecture.
Individual evidence
- ^ Translated and quoted from Jean Herbert: Shintô. At The Fountain-Head of Japan . George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1967. p. 391. Saisei-itchi ( 祭 政 一致 ; literally: “Unity of cult and government”) is a specifically Japanese conception of theocracy, cf. State Shinto .
- ↑ ら き ☆ す た で １２ 万人 増 鷲 宮 神社 の 初 詣 で . (No longer available online.) In: Sankei Shimbun . MSN January 7, 2009; archived from the original on May 23, 2011 ; Retrieved June 13, 2009 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Photo gallery - Japanese
- Mogi Sakae: "Daitōsai (Saitama)" . In: Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugaku-in , December 20, 2006 (English)
- Mogi Sakae: "Chimaki shinji" . In: Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugaku-in , January 30, 2007 (English)
- Mogi Sakae: "Nukiho no shinji" . In: Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugaku-in , February 1, 2007 (English)
Coordinates: 35 ° 55 ′ 0 ″ N , 139 ° 37 ′ 46 ″ E