Suwa Shrine & Mikiinari Shrine Kobe

 

Suwa Shrine is located on the lower slope of the mountains behind Kobe and is reached up a steep slope.

Though ostensibly a Suwa Shrine, as one approaches it appears to be an Inari Shrine, and the local nickname for the shrine is Suwayama Inari.

According to the legend the shrine was founded in the year 400 as protection of the detached palace of Princess Hatta or Yatta. She was the half-sister and consort of Emperor Nintoku.

As a Suwa shrine the main kami is Takeminakata, son of Okuninushi who was exiled to what is now Nagano after the transfer of the land from Onuninushi to Amaterasu.

Suwa Taisha is a major shrine with branches nationwide.

Later the mountain became named Suwayama.

However, in 1778 a branch of Fushimi Inari Shrine was established here, now known as Miki Inari.

For whatever reason the Inari identity overshadows the Suwa identity, with fox guardians guarding the Suwa shrine as well as all the numerous Inari shrines now scattered around the grounds.

One ceramic kitsune was particularly impressive.

Theer are several other shrines in the grounds other than the numerous Inari shrines, and they include a Sarutahiko Shrine.

I visited very early in the morning on day 4 of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

From here a trail leads up the mountain to the next temples on the pilgrimage.

The previous post in the series was on Ninomiya Shrine in Kobe that I visited the evening before.

Kusado Inari Shrine

 

Day 10 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage begins just south of  downtown Fukuyama on the bank of the Ashida River.

Kusado Inari Shrine was originally located on an island in the river that has long since disappeared due to river straightening and land reclamation.

Kusado Sengen was a fairly major port about 1,000 years ago but has long since disappeared, however the history museum in the castle grounds has an excellent set of displays about what was there...

Kusado Sengen was important and wealthy enough to maintain a major temple complex, now named Myoo-in, adjacent to the shrine.

The shrine was said to have been established by a sword-maker who lived in Kusado Sengen after he donated a sword to the temple.

The shrine was swept away by flood numerous times and was moved to its current location in 1655 after having been rebuilt by the founder of Fukuyama Castle, Mizuno Katsunari, at the original site.

It is claimed that the shrine receives the second-largest number of visitors at New Year of all shrines in Hiroshima Prefecture.

With the elevated main hall it reminded me of Yutoku Inari down on Kysuhu... though on a somewhat smaller scale. Perhaps that was the inspiration.

Between the business hours of 9 to 4 the gates to the stairs leading up to the elevated main hall are opened. There are great views.

At other hours the shrine is open and the lower main hall can be used.

The construction of the concrete framework and upper hall was not until the 1980's.

There are many different Inari shrines within the grounds.

The main kami enshrined here is Ukanomitama, the standard Inari kami, but also enshrined is Ukemochi, otherwise known as Ogetsuhime, another food deity that also sometimes appears as a fox, and the third kami is Onamuchi, otherwise known as Okuninushi.

The shrine is popular all year round, and has a full schedule of festivals...

On top of the mountain is an Atago Shrine, the protective shrine for Myoo-in Temple. With the separation of Buddhas and Kami the shrine came under the control of Kusado Inari.

The largest of the secondary shrines in the grounds is the Hachiman Shrine photo below.

The previous post in this series was on the Niagari Odori Festival the evening before.

Sanzo Inari Shrine

 

Sanzo Inari Shrine  lies within the grounds of Fukuyama Castle and was established at the same time as the castle in the early 17th century.

It is quite a popular shrine in the city, and was supported by the various lords of the castle.

There is a Noh stage, but I have been unable to find out any significance to the oval of white gravel that is bisected by the approach to the main hall.

Here, the main kami enshrined is, like everywhere now, officially Uganomitama, a daughter of Susanoo.

Jointly enshrined here are Sarutahiko and Uzume, though Uzume is given a different name.

As is common at most major Inari shrines there are numerous small shrines and altars to a wide variety of Inaris.

A local legend tells of a mysterious samurai guard who would appear when the daimyo was travelling and who claimed to be Sanzo a manifestation of Inari from this shrine.

The shrine has a unique festival when the Miss Sanzo Inari Beauty Contest chooses three young, unmarried women to serve as Miko during the new year.

The previous post was on the neighbouring garden, the Fukuju Kaikan Garden.