Hakusan Shrine located in Nakayama, Hachioji City, Tokyo is a historic shrine. The enshrined deity is Izanagi no Mikoto. The exact era of its foundation is unknown, but according to the postscript of the Lotus Sutra excavated from the sutra mound in the precinct, the shrine had already existed in the late Heian period (794-1192), The postscript indicates that there used to be a temple named Choryuji as a jinguji (a temple housed in a shrine) in the precinct and the sutra is presumably dedicated in 1154 by the monk Benchi, a kinsman of Musashibo Benkei, who is said to have copied and dedicated the Lotus Sutra to seven shrines in the Kanto region.
The shrine was burned down by fire in the battle fought between the Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces and the Hojo clan at the siege of Odawara in 1590, but it was rebuilt in 1613. The 1,000-year-old Japanese umbrella pine tree in the precinct was designated as a Natural Monument by Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Mukabaki Shrine located at the southern foot of Mt. Mukabaki in the western part of Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture, is a historic shrine founded in 718 by transferring the deity from Kumano Taisha Shrine in present Wakayama Prefecture. The enshrined deities are Izanagi no Mikoto, Izanami no Mikoto and Yamato Takeru no Mikoto. Being called Mukabakidake Sansho Daigongen (the Great Three Gods of Mt. Mukabaki), the shrine was worshipped by the successive lords of the Hyuga domain.
The huge precinct is covered with densely grown trees, among which the main hall stands in the tranquil atmosphere. The trail up Mt. Mukabaki starts from the precinct.
Mt. Mukabaki (813 m) is a fine mountain with precipitous flat cliff, which looks like a folding screen. It was named so when Yamato Takeru visited this place to conquer the Kumaso tribe and said that the mountain looked like a “mukabaki,” which was a fur to wrap around the waist.
Kumano Shrine is located in Takadate, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture. The enshrined deities are Hayatamao no Okami, Izanagi no Okami and Kotosakao no Okami.
Natori is the center of Kumano Worship in the Tohoku region during the Middle Ages. Kumano Shrine in Natori was one of Natori Kumano Sanzan constituted of Hongu, Shingu and Nachi Shrines, which were founded by transferring Kumano Sansho Gongen (the great deities of Kumano in present Wakayama Prefecture) in 1123.
The Honden (main hall) building composed of three sections is a prefecturally designated cultural property as the oldest existing building in Kumano-Gongen-zukuri style. By the pond in the precinct is a kagura hall, a part of which protrudes over the pond. Kumanodo Kagura, and Kumano Bugaku (a court dance) have been handed down at this shrine and both are prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural properties. The kagura is dedicated in spring and fall and the bugaku is dedicated only in spring.
Sangasho Shrine Annual Festival is held at Sangasho Shrine in Gokase-cho, Miyazaki Pref. This historic shrine was founded in the Shotai era (898-901). The main hall is all made of zelkova tree and the excellent Nagare-zukuri style is employed there. It enshrines the deities of Izanagi and Izanami. The annual festival is held on the last Saturday of September every year. The Araodori Dance performed in the precinct by men in warrior costume is a traditional performing art with a history of 400 years. The dance is composed of the two parts; the gallant dance in line and the elegant one in circle. Together with the annual festival at Chunobori Shrine on the next day, the two festivals are the most famous festivals in Gokase-cho.
Izusan Shrine located in Izusan, Atami City, Shizuoka Pref. is a historic shrine, which was listed in the Engishiki (codes and procedures on national rites and prayers) in the Heian period (794-1192) and designated as the headquarters of all the tutelary shrines in the Kanto region during the Kamakura period (1192-1333). The enshrined deities are Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto. This is the virtual head of all the Izusan shrines, Izu shrines and Hashiriyu shrines all over the country. The exact foundation date is unknown, but the shrine record says it was founded in 5th to 4th centuries B.C. The original shrine was built in Mt. Higane, and then moved to Mt. Hongusan. There are several opinions about the transition of the shrine, but according to the dominant one, it was moved o this place in 836 by the priest Kenan of Kai province (present-day Yamanashi Pref.). The shrine is famous for the power to realize one’s cherished desire, because Minamoto no Yoritomo prayed for the revival of Genji at this shrine and succeeded in defeating Heike and established the Kamakura Shogunate. The shrine is also said to have the power to bring good fortune in marriage, because young Yoritomo and Hojo Masako had a date in the precinct.
Onokoro-jima Shrine is known as the mythological site of the birth of Japan and is located in Enami Shimohada, Awaji City in Awaji Island, the most southerly city of Hyogo Prefecture.
Onokoro-jima Shrine enshrines two deities: Izanagi and Izanimi who appeared in the myth of the birth of Japan described in the oldest written works: Kojiki and Nihonshoki. According to the legend, in the age of gods, when these two deities stood across a floating bridge of heaven and started churning the sea below with a halberd, seawater dripping from the edge of the halberd formed into islands and created eights islands including Awaji Island.
In the grounds of the shrine stands a beautiful vermillion Torii gate which towers 21.7 meters high and is regarded as one of the Japanese Three Great Torii along with Heian-jinguu Shrine and Miyajima. A stone slab also stands in the grounds inscribed with a famous haiku by Hattori Fuusetsu, a subordinate of Matasuo Bashou:
Ume ichirin, ichirin hodono, atatakasa
(A single flower on a plum tree, I feel the warmth of spring.)
Onokoro-jima Shrine is recently enjoying a new popularity among young people who visit the shrine for romantic help.
After the father and sons of the Shido-Shogun (Four Warriors) went their different ways and brought peace to the Tohoku area, they were reunited here in the Aizu area. This legend is the derivation of the name 'Aizu (where rivers meet)'. During this time, the Shido-Shogun humbly enshrined Izanaginomikoto and Izanaminomikoto, the gods of peace for the nation and endeavor for the nation, at this site on Mt Onkagura near the border of Niigata Prefecture.
These are the legendary origins of Isasumi Shrine. Soon after, in 522, the enshrined gods were first moved respectfully to Mt Hakase, then to Mt Myojingatake, and finally to the Takadaminamibara area. In 560, a shrine was built in the current location of Higashibara.
In the 1,400 years that have passed since then, Isasumi Shrine has become one of the most prestigious shrines of the Aizu area, with the rank of Iwashironokuni-ichinomiya-Aizusouchinnshu. National and Prefectural Significant Cultural Assets such as the Shuurushikonndousoushinyo and the Wooden Koma-inu Statue are kept there.
The shrine is held in respect not only from within the prefecture but from outside, too, as a guardian of industry and culture, longevity and traffic safety. The Shido-Shogun legend tells the story of the initiation of farming techniques and leading cultures, proving that this is the origin of the distinct Aizu culture.
Sumisaka Shrine is located along the Uda River in Haibara-ku, Uda, in Nara Prefecture. The shrine used to be located on the west path of the Amanomori (Forest of the Heavens) of Sumisaka, but, in 1499, it was transferred to its present site.
Until the Meiji period, the Amano Temple deified both Buddhist and Shinto gods, giving it alternative names such as Rokusha Gongen and Amano Shrine. The present enshrined deity is the Sumisaka Omiwa God, which is a generic name for the six pillars of the Amenominakanushinokami, Takamimusubinokami, Kamimusubinokami, Izanakinokami, Izanaminokami and the Omononushinokami. Legends told that during Emperor Sujin's imperial reign, an epidemic spread across his empire. However, if the sick person deified the god that appeared in their dreams, which was the Sumisaka Omiwa God, their illness would be cured instantly.
Every year in November, a festival called the Sumisaka Togyo Gyoretsu takes place, where a mikoshi (portable shrine) is carried, along with a red shield and red sword, from Sumisaka Shrine at its current location to its prior location in the Amanomori (Forest of the Heavens).