User:Immanuelle/Osugi Shrine

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Immanuelle/Osugi Shrine
Religion
AffiliationShinto
Glossary of Shinto

Ōsugi Shrine (Ōsugi Jinja) is a Shinto shrine located in Aba, Inashiki City, Ibaraki Prefecture.[1] It is known as the "Nikkō Tōshō-gū of Ibaraki" due to its lavish shrine buildings and is affectionately called "Anba-sama." The shrine has historically been known by names such as Ōsugi Dai-myōjin, Ōsugi Daigongen, and Imamiya Ōsugi Dai-myōjin. The former shrine ranking was a village shrine. It is currently designated as a "Beppyo Jinja" by the Association of Shinto Shrines. It serves as the head shrine for about 670 Ōsugi Shrines distributed across the Kantō and Tōhoku regions.

Deities Worshiped[change | change source]

Awa floats at the Ōsugi Shrine festival
Main deity
Yamato Omononushi Kushimikatama no Mikoto
Enshrined
Okuninushi-no-Mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto

Initially, the shrine enshrined Yamato Ōmono Nushi Kushi Mikatama no Mikoto from Ōmiya Shrine in Yamato Province. In 1241, Ōkuninushi no Mikoto and Sukunahikona no Mikoto were also enshrined from Imamiya Shrine [en; ja]. The configuration of deities mirrors that of Ōmiya Shrine. The shrine's name derives from a large Cryptomeria japonica tree within its grounds, originally part of a trio of cedars named Tarōsugi, Jirōsugi, and Saburōsugi, though Tarōsugi was destroyed by fire in 1778.

The shrine is also associated with the tengu, mythical creatures in Japanese folklore, specifically the "Hana-taka Tengu" and "Karasu Tengu." During the Bunji era (1185-1189), a retainer of Minamoto no Yoshitsune [en] named Hitachibō Kaison [ja] performed various miracles attributed to the divine virtue of the great cedar. This led to the belief that prayers made through Kaison would be fulfilled by the great cedar deity. Kaison, resembling a tengu, helped establish the tengu belief through his image, leading to the recognition of Hana-taka Tengu and Karasu Tengu as guardian deities. Hana-taka Tengu is known as the "Wish-fulfilling Tengu," and Karasu Tengu as the "Granting Tengu," believed to bestow blessings and fulfill wishes.

The shrine is dedicated to a seldom-worshipped deity known as Anba-sama.[1]

History[change | change source]

According to the shrine's website, the area of "Anba" belonged to the ancient kuni no miyatsuko system before the Ritsuryō system, being part of the Uda Province. Ōsugi Shrine was the most important shrine venerating the Ukami kuni no miyatsuko [ja].

In ancient times, the Awa region, part of the plateau where the shrine is located, protruded into the seas called "Shinoda Ryūkai" (west coast of Lake Kasumigaura) and "Enoura Ryūkai" (an inland sea that spread out in the lowlands of the Tone River basin). Awa was positioned deeply within an inland bay surrounded by Awasaki and Sugatsu, and a large cedar there was worshipped by fishermen and served as a navigational landmark for ships sailing the internal sea (Katori Inner Sea or Jōsō Inner Sea).

"Norihama" and "Abanoshi Island"[change | change source]

In the Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki [ja], place names that are thought to refer to the Awa region include "Norihama" in the section on Shinoda County and "Aba no Shima" in the section on Namegata County.

" Norihama " 「乗濱」appears in the description of "Norimano Village" in the section on Shinoda County [ja]. When Emperor Yamato Takeru [ja] was touring the coast and came to Norihama, he saw that there were many people drying seaweed in Hamaura, so the village came to be called "Norimahama." Also, to the east of Norihama-sato is Ukishima-mura, which is surrounded by sea on all sides, and the farmers there made their living by producing salt.

" Aba no Shima " 「安婆之島」appears in the description of Takekazama no Mikoto's view of the country in the section on Namegata County [ja]. Takekarima no Mikoto was camping on "Abanoshi Island" and saw smoke in a bay far in the eastern sea. He made a vow that if it was the smoke of a heavenly being, he would cover him, but if it was the smoke of bandits, he would let it drift into the sea. When the smoke shot out to sea and drifted away, he realized that a vicious bandit (Kunisu) was there. After Takeshikamado murdered Kunisu, the place where it was said he would kill him painfully became "Itakunogo," the place where it was said he would kill him normally became "Butsunanomura," the place where it was said he would kill him cheaply became "Abakinosato," and the place where it was said he would kill him well became "Yoshimaenomura." According to the "Hyōchū Kofudoki," "Itaku" is "Itako," "Futsuna" is "Furutaka," "Abari" is "Awadai" in Furutaka, and "Yoshizaki" is "Ezaki" in Nobukata village [ja], all of which became place names in Itako City [ja], located across from "Aba Island."

Awa belonged to "Takada-go" (Shinpen Hitachi Kokushi) or "Norihama-go" (Dai Nippon Chimei Jisho [ja]) mentioned in the "Wamyo Ruijusho [ja]". The New Hitachi Kokushikan states, "In ancient times, the southwestern part of this town was entirely covered with reeds and a land of deep mud, while the northeastern part was, as it is today, a flowing sea, so it was really like a single island. What was once called Abana Island was probably the area of the two towns of Takada and Norihama (this can be known from the current names of Yasuba Village, Awazaki Village, etc.)."

It states that the two towns of Takada and Norihama were the "Aba no Shima" and "Norihama" mentioned in the Hitachi Koku Fudoki. Even today, the area from Isazu to Sugazu in Inashiki City is a peninsula-like or island-like plateau. Regarding the description of Namegata County, it says, "It is said that one crossed the inland sea from Ababa Island to Itarai. The present-day Awazaki and Itarai are opposite each other and are in the same direction, so there is no doubt that what is referred to as Ababa Island here is the area of Takada and Norihama," and the place where Takekashima no Mikoto looked into the country is stated to be "Awazaki." The Great Japanese Place Name Dictionary states, "The Ababa Island mentioned in the Kofudoki probably corresponds to the corresponding Ukishima Island or Awazaki," and the Annotated Kofudoki states, "This so-called Ababa Island is probably the location of Ukishima Island. Now, on Ukishima Island, there is Aba Myojin Shrine, where the deity worshipped is Okuninushi no Mikoto. Aba Village is also worshipped, and the local name is Ōsugi Myojin." These are some of the views that it is a "floating island."

Incidentally, the note in the "Hyōchū Kofudoki" states that there is an "Yaba Myojin Shrine" on Ukishima, and an "Ōsugi Myojin Shrine" in Yaba village which enshrines the same deity. Regarding "Yasuba Myojin Shrine," the note in the separate description of "Ukishima no Chomiya" also states, "Ukishima, in the middle of Lake Shintai, is now Ariyasuba Myojin Shrine, this is it." The "Yasuba Myojin Shrine" which the "Hyōchū Kofudoki" identifies with "Chomiya" is thought to refer to the present-day Ojima Shrine. Ojima Shrine enshrines Onamuchino-mikoto (another name for Okuninushi-no-mikoto) as its main deity, and within the shrine grounds there is a stone monument commemorating the site of the "Chomiya" shrine. The "Ōsugi Myojin" of Yasuba village is thought to refer to the current Ōsugi Shrine.

Founded[change | change source]

It is said to have been founded in the first year of the Jingo Keiun era (767).

The "Ōsugi Shrine Brief History" states that the monk Shodo [ja] visited the area, which was suffering from an epidemic, on his way to Nikko in Shimotsuke Province. He used the giant cedar as a sacred tree to enslave Miwa Myojin and performed numerous miracles to save the people, which is why the shrine came to be worshiped as the "Anbasama of Demon Barae" [2] [3]. The history of the Inashiki branch of the Ibaraki Prefecture Shrine Association [ja] states, "Seeing that the villagers were suffering greatly from the epidemic, he took pity on them and performed a ritual to appease the Omiwa-no-Okami of Yamato Province under a large cedar tree, and the villagers immediately made a full recovery." However, regarding the sacred object, there are sources which say that it is not the giant cedar itself, but the "spiritual deity Fudo Myo-o" carved by the monk Shotodo, such as "It is Fudo Myo-o, the spiritual deity who subdues demons, carved by the monk Shotodo during the Jingo Keiun era" (Tonegawa Zushi) and "The sacred object is the spiritual deity Fudo Myo-o, the spiritual deity who subdues demons, carved by the monk Shotodo during the Jingo Keiun era" (Jozan Sosui).

In the 15th year of the Enryaku era (796) or in May of the same year (Inashiki County Local History), Kaiken Ajari of Enryaku-ji [ja] Temple prayed at Ōsugi Shrine for the surrender of King Akujo [ja] (Takamaru). The Tonegawa Zushi [ja] states, "Dengyo Daishi himself came to this place begging for a statue of Acala, who subdues the four demons, which he had carved himself, and after a spiritual dream he enshrined it here, just like Ōsugi Daimyojin. He also enshrined the statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva, made by Konsuji Katsukura from India, thus founding a sacred temple and naming it Ryukozan An'on-ji [ja]." It says that he enshrined the "Acala, who subdues the four demons," made by Dengyo Daishi (Saicho [ja]), along with the "Ōsugi Daimyojin (spiritual deity Acala)," and further established Ryukozan An'on-ji [ja] with the "statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva," made by Konsuji Katsukura from India, as the principal image. As a reward for his prayers for peace in the nation, he was granted a sacred land, and according to the Inashiki branch, a shrine to "Ōsugi Daimyojin" was subsequently constructed within the grounds of An'on-ji Temple.

The shrine's website states that An'on-ji Temple was founded in 805.

The New Compilation of Hitachi Kokushi states, "There is a shrine to Ōsugi Myojin within the temple grounds. Although this shrine was built later, people from far and wide revered it so much that over time, a shrine building was constructed, and as a result, this temple has become truly like a beneficiary [ja]." It states that originally there was An'on-ji Temple, and later Ōsugi Myojin was enshrined there as a shrine within the temple grounds, but the roles of master and servant were reversed due to the extreme reverence. This corresponds to the description in the Inashiki branch, which says that the temple was granted a sacred land in recognition of its meritorious efforts at praying for peace for the nation, centered around Ryukazan An'on-ji Temple, and that "Ōsugi Daimyojin" was later constructed within the temple grounds. It is possible that Ōsugi Daimyojin had been worshiped even before that, without having a shrine building.

Middle Ages[change | change source]

The Tonegawa Zushi from the Genryaku and Bun'ichi eras (1184-1190) states, "Ōsugi Daimyojin resented the rampage of the Taira clan and appeared as Hitachibo Kaison, who assisted Judge Minamoto no Yoshitsune in defeating the Taira clan. After his success, he returned to this place and carved a statue of himself, which he presented to Ōsugi Palace." There is a legend that Hitachibo Kaison was an incarnation of Ōsugi Daimyojin or a divine messenger (attachment). On September 27, 1189, he disappeared suddenly on a rainbow of colorful clouds, and "people came to know that Kaisonbo was an associate of the great deity" (Ōsugi Myojin Ryaku Engi). In the past, an annual festival was held on September 27th, the day Hitachibo Kaison disappeared.

In 1241, the Jozan Sosui records that "a branch of the spirit of Imamiya Shrine in Murasakino, Kyoto was enshrined and the shrine was renamed Imamiya Ōsugi Daigongen," and the two deities Okuninushi no Mikoto and Sukunah

ikona no Mikoto were enshrined [ja] together from Imamiya Shrine [en; ja] in Kyoto.

During the Ōnin War (1467-1477), the temple's land was plundered, but during the Keichō era (1596-1615), the Tokugawa shogunate granted An'on-ji Temple a fief of 20 koku (Shinpen Hitachi Kokushi) and a red seal [ja] exempting it from various taxes. Additionally, the Tonegawa Scenic Spot Guide states, "The monk Tenkai [ja] of Mt. Hiei was ordered to take on the role of betto priest concurrently, and from then on all shrine affairs at Annon-ji were handled by Toei-zan," and the temple came under the control of Toei-zan Kan'ei-ji.

Regarding Tenkai's achievements, the "Brief History of Ōsugi Shrine" states, "Tenkai floated a boat in Tojo Bay and invited Ōsugi Daimyojin, who is enshrined to the east of the bay, to visit him. He performed a ritual that made it rain beautifully, and performed a miracle." "He designated this shrine as the guardian shrine of the evil spirits direction of Edo Castle, and became the chief priest of his own betto An'on-ji temple." "Due to Tenkai's connection with this shrine, Betto An'on-ji temple became a direct affiliated temple of Nikkozan Rinnoji temple [ja]." The information board within the shrine grounds also says that the Ōsugi no Okami that Tenkai enshrined when he prayed for rain was a "dragon god."

  • Tenkai (Zuifu) was invited by Ashina Yoshihiro [ja], who became the lord of Edosaki Castle, and served as the chief priest of Edosaki Fudoin Temple from 1570 to 1603. During this time, there is an anecdote that in 1594, in response to a plea from the people of Hitachi Province, who were suffering from a drought, he prayed for rain. When Tenkai was about to pray for rain at Takada Bay, a girl appeared from the shade of a willow tree and handed him a five-pronged Vajra [ja] (five-pronged vajra) to use in the prayer, then left. As she prayed for rain, lightning flashed from the five-pronged vajra and the image of Manjushri [ja] the Boddhisattva riding a lion [ja] appeared for a moment, and he realized that his daughter was an incarnation of Manjusri Bodhisattva. The people who were saved from the drought expressed their gratitude to Manjusri Bodhisattva and praised Tenkai's virtues. This rain-making story is also recorded in the "History of the Founder of Mount Toei, Jigen Daishi" . Ōsugi Shrine does not appear to appear in these tales.
  • The New Compilation of Hitachi Kokushi describes Annon-ji Temple as "a Tendai sect temple, a branch of Ono Hozen-ji Temple, and known as Ryuge-san Jison-in Temple," and according to the branch temple system [ja], it was a branch temple of Hozen-ji Temple [ja] in Ono, Inashiki City.

In 1725 (the 10th year of the Kyoho [ja] era), the "Demon-Exorcising Music" began, and as it spread, worship of him as a god for warding off smallpox and for water traffic spread throughout the Kanto region and the Pacific [ja] coast of Tohoku. Its origins date back to 1617, when Genba Tanaka (the founder of Higeta Soy Sauce [ja]) brought it from Kii Province along with the Twelve Seats Kagura dance. There is an entry for “Anbasama (Awa-sama)” in the Daijisen Digital Dictionary, which describes it as “a god worshipped in fishing villages along the Pacific coast from Chiba Prefecture to the Tohoku region."

In 1778, the sacred tree, Taro Cedar, was burned down.

In 1798, both the shrine and temple were destroyed by fire.

In 1802, a fire broke out again.

In 1813, following repeated fires, "the difficulty of restoration reached the attention of Imperial Princess Kinen, the 9th abbot of Rinno-ji Temple, who bestowed 1,000 ryo of gold" (Inashiki County Local History), and "the current shrine building was constructed with the 1,000 ryo of gold that the first rank prince [ja] bestowed on it" (Inashiki Branch), and the shrine was rebuilt. Shortly afterwards, in the Bunsei 12th year (1815), the Sojo Nikki recorded that "Ōsugi Myojin is said to be the name of Hitachibo Kaison, and although the shrine grounds are modern, it is very lively. (There is also an Ōsugi shrine in Kashima.)" (Dai Nippon Chimei Jisho). The relocation took place in Bunka 13 (1816) .

After the Meiji Period[change | change source]

After the Meiji Restoration, due to the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, Annon-ji Temple was abolished and turned into a shrine office.

On November 14, 1871, Niiharu Prefecture was established as a result of the first merger of prefectures, and the Niiharu Prefectural Central Teaching Institute was established at Ōsugi Shrine ("A Brief History of Ōsugi Shrine").

In October 1873, it was ranked as a village shrine. By the way, in the "Photographic Album of Ibaraki Prefecture Shrines" published in 1942, it was a village shrine, but in the Shrine Details Database held by the National Institute of Japanese Literature, it has been promoted to a village shrine.

On May 7, 1875, Ibaraki Prefecture was established as a result of the second merger of prefectures.

In 1878, An'on-ji Temple was rebuilt.

In April 1907, it merged with the unranked Shinmei shrine in Awa Village [ja].

On January 31, 1978, “Anba-bayashi” was designated an intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as recording are required [ja].

In 1982, it became a specially designated shrine under the Shinto Shrines Association.

Construction and repair work began in 1996 as part of the Heisei Great Construction Project.

Restoration work on the shrine building (Osugiden) was completed in 2006.

Shrine grounds[change | change source]

The names of the enshrined deities are listed on explanatory boards within the temple grounds.

  • A shrine located in the northwest of the temple grounds.
Deities enshrined at Okuni Shrine : Okuninushi-no-Mikoto and Kotoshironushi -no-
Deity of Ise Shrine - Amaterasu Omikami
Hakusan Shrine Deity Kukurihime [en; ja]
Deities worshipped at the four shrines - Ame-no-Minakanushi, Takamimusubi [en], Kamimusubi [en] Amaterasu Omikami Kaminao-no-Kami, [ja] and O-nao-no-Kami [ja]
Tenmangu Shrine Deity - Sugawara no Michizane
  • A shrine located in the southeast of the temple grounds.
Inari Shrine [ja] (Shoichii Ryūshin Sōsei Saisho Inari Daimyojin) Deity - Ukemome
Deity of Katsuma Shrine - Unknown
Aioi Shrine
  • The Ibaraki Prefecture Shrine Photo Album lists three shrines as follows: Inari Shrine (Ukemochi no Mikoto), Hakusan Shrine (Kukurihime no Mikoto), and Okuni Shrine (Onamochi no Mikoto, Sukunahikona no Mikoto).
  • The Inashiki branch of the Ibaraki Prefectural Shrine Association has four shrines: Inari Shrine, Hakusan Shrine, Okuni Shrine, and Isose Shrine.

Katsuma Shrine[change | change source]

Katsuma Shrine is located in the southeast of the temple grounds. The enshrined deity is unknown.

Its ancient name was "Magisha" and it has its own ancient history. "Bareki" means the joists of a stable (the cross beams that support the floorboards), and by extension refers to a manger or the stable itself. "Umatakagami" is the guardian deity of horses and is also known as "Umayanokami" (stable god [ja]), and is a part of folk beliefs in various regions.

During the Heian period, Shinda Horse Ranch (mentioned in the Engishiki ) was located in Miho, Ibaraki [en; ja], one of the various ranches [ja] in Hitachi Province (ranches under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Military Affairs), and a shrine was established there in 862 to protect the horses. When the horse pasture was abolished at the end of the Heian period, it was passed through Inashiki [ja], and then moved to the grounds of Ōsugi Shrine during the Kamakura period. There used to be a horse racing track behind Annon-ji Temple (Okuyama), where horse races were held until the early Showa period. The stone shrine was enshrined in a place overlooking the track. With the disappearance of farm horses, the shrine was forgotten, but in 2002 a shrine building was constructed on the same site and the shrine was moved there.

Currently, people from the Japan Racing Association [en; ja] (JRA) Miho Training Center [ja], which is located on the site of the ancient Shinta Horse Ranch, come to offer prayers for the year, along with those from the headquarters. It is also well known among horse racing fans. Incidentally, the sacred horse [ja] currently used in the Ōsugi Shrine festival is borrowed from the Miho Training Center because the farmer no longer has any horses left. Many horseshoes have been donated in front of the shrine, and there are also rare charms such as "winning horse charms," "horseshoe votive plaques," and "mane charms."

Ōsugi Shrines around Japan[change | change source]

Tohoku Region[change | change source]

Kanto region[change | change source]

There are seven branch shrines currently existing in Ibaraki Prefecture that are umbrella shrines of the Shinto Shrine Association.

Chubu region[change | change source]

Kinki[change | change source]

Related temples and shrines[change | change source]

Gallery[change | change source]

  • Ōsugi Shrine 01
    Ōsugi Shrine 01
  • Ōsugi Shrine 02
    Ōsugi Shrine 02
  • Ōsugi Shrine 03
    Ōsugi Shrine 03
  • Ōsugi Shrine 04
    Ōsugi Shrine 04
  • Ōsugi Shrine 05
    Ōsugi Shrine 05
  • Ōsugi Shrine 06
    Ōsugi Shrine 06
  • Ōsugi Shrine 07
    Ōsugi Shrine 07
  • Ōsugi Shrine 08
    Ōsugi Shrine 08
  • Ōsugi Shrine 09
    Ōsugi Shrine 09
  • Ōsugi Shrine 10
    Ōsugi Shrine 10
  • Ōsugi Shrine 11
    Ōsugi Shrine 11
  • Ousugi-shrine Inashiki-city Japan
    Ousugi Shrine in Inashiki-city, Japan

See Also[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Osugi Shrine | Visit | IBARAKI GUIDE". visit.ibarakiguide.jp. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  2. ↑ 「あんば」とは、当時入り海であった霞ケ浦に突き出た半島を「安婆島」と呼んでおり、その地に大杉神社が作られたことに由来する
  3. ↑ 柳正博 (3月), 利根川の水神信仰, 調査研究報告, vol. 2, 埼玉県立さきたま資料館, p. 82 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Text "和書" ignored (help)
  4. ↑ "⛩大杉神社｜宮城県気仙沼市 - 八百万の神". 八百万の神 - 日本の神社・寺院検索サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  5. ↑ "⛩大杉神社｜茨城県常陸大宮市 - 八百万の神". 八百万の神 - 日本の神社・寺院検索サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  6. ↑ "⛩大杉神社｜三重県いなべ市 - 八百万の神". 八百万の神 - 日本の神社・寺院検索サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  7. ↑ "大杉神社【滋賀県】～初代人祖伊邪那岐尊が眠る場所～". web.archive.org. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  8. ↑ "⛩大杉神社｜京都府舞鶴市 - 八百万の神". 八百万の神 - 日本の神社・寺院検索サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  9. ↑ "⛩大杉神社｜兵庫県美方郡新温泉町 - 八百万の神". 八百万の神 - 日本の神社・寺院検索サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-13.
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References[change | change source]

*References marked with an asterisk can be found in the National Diet Library Digital Collection .

External link[change | change source]

[[Category:Beppyo shrines]] [[Category:Shinto shrines in Ibaraki Prefecture]] [[Category:Coordinates on Wikidata]] [[Category:Pages with unreviewed translations]]

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