Izumo Shrine Suo Ninomiya

 

The Ninomiya, second-ranked shrine, of the old Suo Province was the Izumo Shrine in the Tokuji District on the banks of the Saba River north of Hofu.

It is said tat it was established to appease the Izumo tribe as they expanded into the Saba River basin. It is generally accepted that Izumo controlled a large confederacy that reached from northern Kyushu up to the Niigata area.

It is recorded that it was established in 715 and in 738 it was granted imperial permission to be the Ninomiya of the province.

The shrine was well supported by the Ouchi Clan who ruled the area and then later by the Mori who took over from the Ouchi.

The main kami listed are Okuninushi and Kotoshironushi, although I note that until the 16th century the main kami of Izumo Taisha was Susanoo. The current building dates to 1750.

There are a couple of different Hachiman shrines in the grounds and twenty smaller shrines gathered from around the area.

Most interesting to me was the giant Sugi tree..... this would have been the kind of tree Chogen would have been looking for....

It is 43 meters high, with a 12.5 metre circumference at its base, and a diameter of 7.2 meters.

The previous post was on the monk Chogen and his rebuilding of Todaiji with lumber from this area...

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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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Tenyozan Kannonin Houjuji Temple 62 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Houjuji, temple 62 of the Ohenro, is only one and a half kilometers from the previous temple, number 61 Ko-onji. It is in a cluster of pilgrimage temples close together in Saijo, Ehime.

I arrived here early in the morning on 17th February, 2012, day 38 of my walk along the pilgrimage.

It is a Shingon temple and the honzon is an eleven-faced Kannon.

Photo taken in 2012 of the previous main hall. It still stands but is now blocked off by a big modern building housing the temple office.

The temple was founded in the mid-8th century when Emperor Shomu had a shrine built about one kilometer north of the current location.

Enshrining Okuninushi, Oyamatsumi, and Kotoshironushi, it was the Ichinomiya of the province.

The shrine is the okunoin of the temple and is now located just across the road (final photo)

A small temple was built next to the shrine and named Kongoho-ji.

Later, when Kobo Daishi visited, he carved the Kannon statue and renamed the temple Houjuji.

The temple suffered repeatedly from the Nakayama River flooding.

The temple was destroyed during Hideyoshi's invasion in 1585

In 1636 the temple was relocated to its current location.

Pilgrims would pray first at the shrine and then chant sutras at the temple, so in 1679 the lord demanded the shrine be relocated to its current location closer to the temple.

In 1868 the shrine and temple were officially separated and the temple abandoned.

It was rebuilt in 1877.

At the same time a small Inari shrine was established in the grounds ( photo 6 )

For some years the temple was in dispute with the official pilgrimage association, but I believe that has been resolved.

The previous temple was number 61, Ko-onji.

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