Iwanaga Hachimangu

 

A little further along the road to Akiyoshidai after visiting the Hirohata Hachiman Shrine, yet another large hachiman shrine appeared.

Iwanaga Hachimangu had a very long approach with numerous torii....

It is claimed to be the oldest shrine in the area, being founded in 715.

The curious thing is they say it was enshrined from Hyuga, now Miyazaki. All the other Hachiman shrines in western Honshu at around that time are enshrined from Usa. Usa was the original Hachiman shrine and as the cult spread to Honshu due to the association of Hachiman with the founding of the Great Buddha at Nara, it gradually became a national cult.

However, before it spread to Honshu, it had spread somewhat around Kyushu. I came across a couple of Hachiman shrines in southern Fukuoka that had been established very early on. However, I had not found one in Miyazaki. The head priestess of Usa Hachiman had led an army earlier to suppress "revolt" in the southern part of Kyushu, so maybe that explains it.

Like many shrines, this one has been relocated several times, although the exact dates are unknown. It changed its name to Iwanaga in 1922, but it is unclear what it was called before.

Like other hachiman shrines in the area, the kami selection is Ojin, Jingu, and the three Munakata princesses.

Within the grounds is a Tenmangu, and an Arajinja enshrining Susanoo.

In the 1980's a small kofun with an unusual stone-lined coffin chamber was excavated nearby. It was relocated the shrine grounds to keep it safe from the expanding limestone mining.

The final photo shows a quite common feature at many shrines..... a naval artillery shell!!...almost certainly dating to just after the Russo-japanese War at the start of the twentieth century.

The previous post was on another nearby hachiman Shrine, Hirohata Hachimangu.

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Nishoyamada Shrine

 

Nishoyamada Shrine, located next to Kanyoji Temple, the next temple on the Chugoku Pilgrimage for me, has a delightful, long approach with plenty of Autumn colours....

The shrine was created in 1907 by the merging of two shrines,  Nisho Daimyojin and Yamada Gonzensha

This was at the peak of the governments program to drastically reduce the number of shrines in the country.

Other shrines in the grounds that were moved here around the same time is a large shrine to Sugawara Michizane, commonly referred to as Tenjin. There is aaslo a small Kibune Shrine and a Gokoku Shrine, the local version of Yasukuni, the modern shrine enshrining war dead.

The Nisho Shrine was established in 899. moved in 1262, and then moved to its current location in 1674.

The primary kami are Omononushi and Yachihoko, which is curious as they are both aliases of Okuninushi.

Secondary kami associated with the former Nisho Shrine are Sukunahikona, Susano, Kagutsuchi, Kotoshironushi, Ichikishimahime, and Kakinomoto Hitomaro. Most are considered the Izumo pantheon, though Kakinomoto is a curiosity.

Yamada Shrine was established in 1292, but a theory is that it existed much earlier as a clan shrine and in the 13th century was made a branch of Ise Shrines.

The primary kami are Amaterasu and Toyoke.

The secondary kami are Amenokoyane, Ukemochi, and Sarutahiko. Okuninushi and Susano are also listed as secondary kami of the former Yamada Shrine.

In 1906 the head priest started manufacturing omikuji as a source of income and now the company produces 70% of all omikuji in Japan. They also invented the machines for dispensing omikuji at unmanned shrines. Omikuji were originally something developed in Tendai temples connected with Kannon, and during the Edo Period spread by Yin Yang diviners. Shrines started to promote them around the early 20th century

The shrine is located in Shunan City, Yamaguchi, though actually it is quite a remote area in the mountains about 25k north of Tokuyama.

It is close to the expressway, and there is an infrequent bus from Tokuyama that comes to the temple next door.

The previous post was on the glorious walk up the river to get here.

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Suga Shrine & Tsukari Shrine in Autumn Splendour

 

The next shrine I visited on my walk along Route 63 on day 20 of my pilgrimage along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

The shrine was established in the early 11th century as a branch of the head Suga Shrine in Izumo.

As such it enshrines Susano and also one of his sons, Othoshi.

It was known as Ekisha, which ties in with what I learned earlier on the pilgrimage in Okayama where there were several Eki shrines to Susano.

Now the full name of the shrine is Ishiki Shrine, Tabi no miya, Suga Shrine, and it seems that in 1913 Ishiki Shrine was ranked as a Prefectural Shrine and this shrine became a branch of it. Not sure I understand.

What was clear was that there was plenty of Autumn colour at the shrine....

Omakuji left tied to a tree...

After leaving the shrine I passed was seemed to be some sort of small park, although there was no signboard and nothing marked on googlemaps...

The planting of trees and bushes was not by chance....

Then on to the next shrine, Tsukari Shrine.

This is a group of four different shrines which were grouped together.

In 1159, Oyamatsumi was enshrined in Awaya Shrine and moved to this location in 1620.

In 1181 Yamasue Shrine was founded with Sanno Gongen enshrined. Oyamatsumi, Oyamakui, and Wakamusubi. Sanno was the shrine that was based on Mount Hie.

In 1225 a branch of Kitano Tenmangu was established enshrining Sugawara Michizane.

Finally, in 1919 Ito Hirobume, the first Prime Minister of Japan was enshrined in Ito Shrine.

He was born in a village nearby.

As I headed off across country I spied an abandoned house with overgrown grounds.

It was a substantial house, not a farmhouse, but not nearly big enough to be a mansion

Lots of Autumn colour

And a substantial gate...

The garden must have quite delightful in its day...

The previous post was on some shrines and views from earlier in the day...

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