Senkaku Jinja
Encyclopedia
is a Shinto shrine located on Uotsuri-jima in the Senkaku Islands
, Japan
. The shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu
.
The shrine was founded on April 20, 2000 and serves to pray for the safe passage of all boats through the Senkaku Islands and the East China Sea
. Construction was led by Nihon Seinensha, a right-wing organization affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai
, and wooden hokora
were also constructed. When the shrine was founded, it was the first time since the end of World War II that a kannushi
had been on the island. Every year, the two lighthouses built by Seinenkai on the island are inspected and serviced, and during this time a yearly festival occurs, and prayers are issued for safe passage. In 2006, Seinensha donated the lighthouses to the government and they are now a national property administered by the Japan Coast Guard.
In March 2004, several Chinese activists illegally landed on the island. Seinensha reported the incident to the Okinawa Police, who arrested the activists and made a damage report. Afterwards, Seinensha rebuilt the hokora and erected a plinth with the words "Senkaku Jinja" written on it. The hokora and plinth are built of solid granite.
Senkaku Islands
The , also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea...
, 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...
. The shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu
Amaterasu
, or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...
.
The shrine was founded on April 20, 2000 and serves to pray for the safe passage of all boats through the Senkaku Islands and the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
. Construction was led by Nihon Seinensha, a right-wing organization affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai
Sumiyoshi-kai
The , sometimes referred to as the , is the second-largest yakuza group in Japan with an estimated 20,000 members.The Sumiyoshi-kai is a confederation of smaller gangs. Its current sosai, or president, is Shigeo Nishiguchi. Structurally, the Sumiyoshi-kai differs from its main rival, the...
, and wooden hokora
Hokora
A is a miniature Shinto shrine either found on the precincts of a larger shrine and dedicated to folk kami, or on a street side, enshrining kami not under the jurisdiction of any large shrine...
were also constructed. When the shrine was founded, it was the first time since the end of World War II that a kannushi
Kannushi
A , also called , is the person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine as well as for leading worship of a given kami. The characters for kannushi are sometimes also read jinshu with the same meaning....
had been on the island. Every year, the two lighthouses built by Seinenkai on the island are inspected and serviced, and during this time a yearly festival occurs, and prayers are issued for safe passage. In 2006, Seinensha donated the lighthouses to the government and they are now a national property administered by the Japan Coast Guard.
In March 2004, several Chinese activists illegally landed on the island. Seinensha reported the incident to the Okinawa Police, who arrested the activists and made a damage report. Afterwards, Seinensha rebuilt the hokora and erected a plinth with the words "Senkaku Jinja" written on it. The hokora and plinth are built of solid granite.