Dazaifu Tenman-gu
Encyclopedia
is a Shinto
shrine in Dazaifu
, Fukuoka Prefecture
, Japan
. It is built over the grave of Sugawara no Michizane
and is one of the main shrines dedicated to Tenjin
, the deified form of Michizane.
The shrine's precinct spans over 3000 acres (12.1 km²) and includes several structures. Its honden
, or main shrine, was first built by Yasuyuki Umasake in 905, two years after the death of Michizane. A larger structure was constructed by the Fujiwara clan in 919 but was destroyed in a fire during a civil war. The Momoyama-style shrine visitors see today dates from 1591 and is an Important Cultural Property
. The grounds also contain two ponds, a bridge and a treasure house.
As well as the main shrine dedicated to Tenjin
there are auxiliary and branch
shrines of many other kami
. The auxiliary shrine
honden is an Important Cultural Property.
The shrine is also known for its 6,000 ume
(Asian plum) trees belonging to 167 varieties. One tree, known as Tobiume, stands directly to the right of the honden. Legend has it that after Michizane left Kyoto
in exile, he yearned so much for this tree that it was uprooted and brought to Dazaifu Tenman-gū.
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
shrine in Dazaifu
Dazaifu, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Ōnojō and Chikushino. Although mostly urban, it does have arable land used for paddy fields and market gardening....
, Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is built over the grave of Sugawara no Michizane
Sugawara no Michizane
, also known as Kan Shōjō , a grandson of Sugawara no Kiyotomo , was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan...
and is one of the main shrines dedicated to Tenjin
Tenjin (kami)
In Japanese mythology and folklore, is the Shinto kami of scholarship, the deification of a scholar, poet, and politician named Sugawara no Michizane. Ten means sky and jin means god or deity...
, the deified form of Michizane.
Honden
The , is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue. The building is normally in the rear of the shrine and closed to the general public. In front of its usually stands the haiden, or...
, or main shrine, was first built by Yasuyuki Umasake in 905, two years after the death of Michizane. A larger structure was constructed by the Fujiwara clan in 919 but was destroyed in a fire during a civil war. The Momoyama-style shrine visitors see today dates from 1591 and is an Important Cultural Property
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
. The grounds also contain two ponds, a bridge and a treasure house.
As well as the main shrine dedicated to Tenjin
Tenjin
Tenjin may be:* Tenjin , the Shinto kami of scholarship* Tenjin, Fukuoka, the downtown region of the city...
there are auxiliary and branch
Setsumatsusha
and , also called are small or miniature shrines having a deep historical relationship with a more important shrine or with the kami it enshrines, and fall under that shrine's jurisdiction. The two terms used to have legally different meanings, but are today synonyms...
shrines of many other kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
. The auxiliary shrine
Setsumatsusha
and , also called are small or miniature shrines having a deep historical relationship with a more important shrine or with the kami it enshrines, and fall under that shrine's jurisdiction. The two terms used to have legally different meanings, but are today synonyms...
honden is an Important Cultural Property.
The shrine is also known for its 6,000 ume
Ume
Prunus mume, with the common names including Chinese plum and Japanese apricot, is an Asian tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia, is usually translated as plum blossom. This distinct tree...
(Asian plum) trees belonging to 167 varieties. One tree, known as Tobiume, stands directly to the right of the honden. Legend has it that after Michizane left Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
in exile, he yearned so much for this tree that it was uprooted and brought to Dazaifu Tenman-gū.
Treasures
The Hōmotsuden houses items including:- Kanen, a tenth-century history and ethnographyEthnographyEthnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
(National Treasure) - a Heian periodHeian periodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
tachiTachiThe is one type of traditional Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.-History and description:With a few exceptions katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other if signed, by the location of the signature on the tang...
(Important Cultural Property) - a Kamakura periodKamakura periodThe is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
tachiTachiThe is one type of traditional Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.-History and description:With a few exceptions katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other if signed, by the location of the signature on the tang...
(Important Cultural Property) - a Muromachi periodMuromachi periodThe is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
painted stand (Important Cultural Property) - documents dating from the Heian periodHeian periodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
to the Edo periodEdo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
important to the history of Dazaifu and KyushuKyushuis the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
(Important Cultural PropertyImportant Cultural Properties of JapanThe term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
)
See also
- Modern system of ranked Shinto ShrinesModern system of ranked Shinto ShrinesThe The The (sometimes called simply , was an organizational aspect of the establishment of Japanese State Shinto. This system classified Shinto shrines as either official government shrines or "other" shrines...
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
- Kitano Tenman-gūKitano Tenman-gu' is a Shinto shrine in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan.-History:It was built in 947, to appease the angry spirit of bureaucrat, scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane, who had been exiled as a result of political maneuvers of his enemies in the Fujiwara clan....
- Kōmyōzen-jiKōmyōzen-jiis a Zen temple in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was founded by Tetsugyū Enshin of the Tōfuku-ji Rinzai school in 1273. Kōmyōzen-ji is celebrated for its karesansui garden, the only example in Kyushu.-See also:*Dazaifu Tenman-gū*Kanzeon-ji...
- Kanzeon-jiKanzeon-jiis a seventh-century Buddhist temple in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Once the most important temple in Kyushu, its bell is one of the oldest in the country and has been designated a National Treasure. In 1996 the Ministry of the Environment designated its sound as one of the 100 Soundscapes...
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings: Japanese books)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings: Chinese books)
External links
- Dazaifu Tenmangu (Official site)