Kotohira Shrine
Encyclopedia
is a Shintō
shrine in the town of Kotohira
in Nakatado District
of Kagawa Prefecture
, Japan
.
Located at 521m halfway to the top of Mount Zōzu, the shrine stands at the end of a long path, with 785 steps to the main shrine and a total of 1,368 steps to the inner shrine. Since the Muromachi Period
pilgrimages to the shrine became popular, and even today usually hundreds of visitors in a day climb the steps of Mount Zōzu. On the way to the shrine is located a sake museum, various stores selling a variety of goods, and there are lots of stones in which are the names of donators to the shrine carved in kanji
-characters. Due to the Honji suijaku
theory which claimed the local kami
were incarnations of Buddhist gods, Kotohira shrine was in times prior to the Meiji era equally a Buddhist and a Shintoist sanctuary.
The principal kami
of the shrine used to be Ō-mono-nushi-no-mikoto, a spirit associated with seafaring (also referred to as the Buddhist deity Konpira), but Ō-mono-nushi-no-mikoto was replaced by the spirit of Sutoku-Tennō in 1165.
Prior to the Meiji period
it was known as , and it stood at the head of the nationwide group of shrines bearing the names Kompira and Kotohira. The ema
hall is the site of prayers for safe seafaring.
From 1871 through 1946, Kotohira was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the mid-range of ranked, nationally significant shrines
.
, including a Heian period
statue of the eleven-faced Kannon Bosatsu, and four ink paintings by Maruyama Ōkyo
.
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 the town of Kotohira
Kotohira, Kagawa
is a town located in Nakatado District, Kagawa, Japan. The town is best known as the site of Shikoku's largest shrine complex, the Kotohira Shrine ....
in Nakatado District
Nakatado District, Kagawa
is a district located in Kagawa Prefecture.Due to the district government enforcement in 1899, the district was formed when the Naka and Tado Districts merged.The district contains 3 towns.*Kotohira*Tadotsu*Mannō-Timeline:...
of Kagawa Prefecture
Kagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
, 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...
.
Located at 521m halfway to the top of Mount Zōzu, the shrine stands at the end of a long path, with 785 steps to the main shrine and a total of 1,368 steps to the inner shrine. Since the Muromachi Period
Muromachi period
The 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...
pilgrimages to the shrine became popular, and even today usually hundreds of visitors in a day climb the steps of Mount Zōzu. On the way to the shrine is located a sake museum, various stores selling a variety of goods, and there are lots of stones in which are the names of donators to the shrine carved in kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
-characters. Due to the Honji suijaku
Honji suijaku
The term in Japanese religious terminology refers to a theory widely accepted until the Meiji period according to which Indian Buddhist deities choose to appear in Japan as native kami in order to more easily convert and save the Japanese...
theory which claimed the local 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...
were incarnations of Buddhist gods, Kotohira shrine was in times prior to the Meiji era equally a Buddhist and a Shintoist sanctuary.
History
It is said to have been founded during the 1st century.The principal 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...
of the shrine used to be Ō-mono-nushi-no-mikoto, a spirit associated with seafaring (also referred to as the Buddhist deity Konpira), but Ō-mono-nushi-no-mikoto was replaced by the spirit of Sutoku-Tennō in 1165.
Prior to the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
it was known as , and it stood at the head of the nationwide group of shrines bearing the names Kompira and Kotohira. The ema
Ema (Shinto)
are small wooden plaques on which Shinto worshippers write their prayers or wishes. The ema are then left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami receive them. They bear various pictures, often of animals or other Shinto imagery, and many have the word gan'i , meaning "wish", written along the side...
hall is the site of prayers for safe seafaring.
From 1871 through 1946, Kotohira was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the mid-range of ranked, nationally significant shrines
Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines
The 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...
.
Treasures
Kompira Shrine has several Important Cultural PropertiesImportant 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....
, including a Heian period
Heian period
The 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...
statue of the eleven-faced Kannon Bosatsu, and four ink paintings by Maruyama Ōkyo
Maruyama Okyo
, born Maruyama Masataka, was a Japanese artist active in the late 18th century. He moved to Kyoto, during which he studied artworks from Chinese, Japanese and Western sources. A personal style of Western naturalism mixed with Eastern decorative design emerged, and Ōkyo founded the Maruyama school...
.