Kotohira-gū
Kotohira-gū ( Japanese. 金刀 比 羅 宮 ; formerly also known under the name Konpira-dai-gongen ( 金 毘羅 大 権 現 )) is a Shintō shrine in the city of Kotohira in Nakatado-gun of Kagawa Prefecture in Japan . It is also called Konpira-san and is said to have been built in the 1st century.
Overview
The shrine is located at 521 m altitude, halfway to the top of Mount Zōzu. 785 stone steps lead to the main shrine and 1,368 to the innermost sanctuary. Pilgrimages to the shrine have been popular since the Muromachi period , with several hundred pilgrims making the ascent every day. On the way to the shrine there is a sake museum (at the beginning) and many stones in which the names of donors for the shrine and the donated amount are carved with kanji .
For a long time it was unclear whether the Kotohira-gū should be a Buddhist or a Shinto sanctuary.
The main kami of the shrine was for a long time Ō-mono-nushi no mikoto, a kami associated with seafaring (who is also worshiped as the Buddhist deity Kompira), until it was replaced by Sutoku -tennō in 1165 . It is a tradition for seafarers to throw small barrels with offerings to Ō-mono-nushi into the sea. Whoever finds it is expected to bring it to the shrine. The major shipping companies in Japan also belong to the ujiko of the shrine, i.e. to its community. Almost all Japanese ships have an amulet from the shrine on board.
As a go- shintai acts allegedly a wooden statue that Sutoku -tennō in a precious basket sent. However, this basket was never opened. Two more baskets were added later, probably with mirrors inside. From the go-shintai of Kotohira-gū several thousand bunrei were distributed to other shrines throughout Japan.
In the side shrine Asahi-no-yashiro (a massha ) all eighty myriads of Shinto kami are venerated. In Harai-do-no-yashiro (a massha ) the four purification kami ( Harai -no- kami ) become Haya-aki-tsu-hime-no-mikoto, I-buki-do-nushi-no-kami, Se -oritsu-hime and Haya-sasura-hime-no-kami. The agricultural Kami Ō-toshi, Mi-toshi and Waka-toshi together have their place of worship in the Mi-toshi-no-yashiro (a massha ). The mountain-Kami Ō-yama-tsu-mi here has the Ō-yama-tsu-mi-no-yashiro as massha . For Sugawara no Michizane the Sugawara-no-yashiro was built. Another massha is dedicated to one of Ō-mono-nushi's wives, Miho-tsu-hime. A particularly famous follower of Ō-mono-nushi, Crown Prince Shōtoku Taishi , is also venerated as the only guest Kami ( aidono-no-kami ) in Kotohira-gu. There is also a massha for the kami of the streets and crossroads, Sae-no-kami , where they are worshiped under their individual names, which is a very rare variant of their worship.
The Omote-shoin and Oku-shoin buildings (exterior and interior reception and guest halls) are not only of religious interest , in which a large number of donated art objects and numerous paintings are exhibited (usually only for a short time within several decades) Wall panels ( fusuma ) can be seen. These include works by Itō Jakuchu, Maruyama Ōkyo and Murata Tanryō .
Web links
- Official Website - Japanese
- Kagawa Prefecture Information Center - English
Coordinates: 34 ° 11 '3.33 " N , 133 ° 48' 34.61" O