Ise Jingû- Toyo'uke Dai-Jingû (Gekû)

Ise Jingû in Ise city of Mie Prefecture, is less one shrine and more like an entire system of shrines. With over 150 shrines considered under the umbrella of the Ise Jingû title, it is the greatest shrine in Japan. Ise Jingû is so prominent and is such a major shrine that it is simply referred to as Jingû. The story goes that the foundation of the shrines in Ise began during the reign of the 10th emperor, Emperor Suinin, when he ordered his daughter Yamatohime-no-mikoto to search the country for a new permanent home for Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess. As the divine origin of the imperial family, Amaterasu-Omikami was formally worshiped at the Imperial Palace. It’s important to note that this probably happened in a very different way as Emperor Suinin is likely a fictional emperor with a posthumous name, and therefore lacks any sort of reign timeline or documentation of deeds. All the same, the shrines were constructed and fiercely worshiped around the 3rd century, transforming Ise into the city of the gods. Toyo’uke Dai-Jingû, also known as Gekû (Outter Shrine),  is the second greatest shrine in the Jingû complex behind Kotai Jingû also known as Naikû (Inner Shrine), the home of Amaterasu-Omikami. Enshrined at Gekû is Toyo’uke-Omikami, the primary caretaker and companion of Amaterasu-Omikami, providing the Sun Goddess with sacred foods. In addition, Toyo’uke-Omikami is the goddess of essentials in the daily household: cloth, shelter, and food.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

One of the most amazing things about these shrines is the atmosphere. The entrance to Gekû is, as best as I can describe it, pronounced in its stature and yet equally quiet and humble. You enter from the street as the path changes from concrete to stone, then plunges into a dense wood of beautiful cedar pines. The flicker of sunlight dances through the trees and an otherwise warm autumn day becomes a cool and crisp enclave.

An empty gravel lot with a small shelter in the middle, completely off limits to visitors, draws attention to the sheer scale of the shrine. Like most of the shrines in the Jingû complex and others more across Japan, Gekû takes part in the Shikinen Sengû, a ritual once every twenty years when a shrine is rebuilt completely new at an adjacent site to the standing shrine. The shogu, or Divine Palace, is the name for the main shrine where the god is worshiped. The physical center of the shogu is called the shin-no-mihashira, the heart pillar, and is the primary support foundation for the structure. When the lot is vacant, a small shelter is build for the unused heart pillar until the new shrine is built for the next transfer. Understanding the importance of this empty lot, visitors are able to better understand the scale of the shrine itself. And why is this external information important? Because visitors are not actually allowed to enter the shrine. Surrounding the current shrine is a tall wooden wall which blocks vision to all of the shrine save the tallest gilt finials and ballasts that adorn the roof of the buildings. From here visitors will have the best possible view of the shogu because when making the turn into the enclosure, a gate with a silk vale blocking the entrance is all that visitors will be able to see. Photography here is strictly prohibited and security staff are present to enforce that.

Why can’t I enter the shrine? Why am I only allowed to stand at the first gate? Why can’t I even see the shrine? These are all very good questions and I’ll be explaining that more in detail in my post about Kotai Jingû (Naikû). The simple answer is that nobility matters. Status matters. The only person who can really enter to any level of the shrine is the head priest, not even the Emperor is allowed to enter all the way to these shrines, though he can enter further than any other person. Sooo as commoners, we lack the stature to truly enter and pay respect to the gods. I would recommend at this time that you don’t wear anything too casual when you visit. When I was there, everyone, though not in formal attire, was wearing clothing on the nicer end of casual and I felt a little awkward walking around in gym shorts (I was on vacation afterall).

But Gekû isn’t just the one shogu, its grounds are covered with various shrines to other primal gods and goddesses, and each shrine is built with its own empty lot for the next shrine in the Shikinen Sengû cycle. Unlike Gekû proper, these smaller shrines are not off limits for common folk to see and pay respects to. This is where the shrine gets really fun, because each little shrine is up beautiful cobblestone paths with massive cedar trees towering above. In addition, this is also a great way to explore without massive crowds getting in the way. It was easy for me to forget that I wasn’t in a forest, but rather a small grove of woods surrounded by a city.

The heart pillar awaiting the new construction.

 

Hayatani Jinja

Hayatani Jinja is a shrine in the hills of Hatsukaichi, a suburb of Hiroshima. I wasn’t able to find out much information about it in English (my Japanese reading skills suck), but I was able to determine that Hayatani Jinja is a shrine dedicated to the harvest. It is sponsored by the Imperial Family thanks to its association with other shrines in the area that receive Imperial patronage, and it does bare the golden chrysanthemum crest of the Imperial Family. Hayatani Jinja was originally built in the Heian period and was later renovated with Imperial funding in the 12th century.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 5

I would say that the beauty of this shrine is the rural landscape that surrounds it. Hatsukaichi is largely a suburban landscape so long as you’re near the water, but as you move up the steady incline into the mountains, it suddenly becomes a farming community. The shrine itself is largely hidden from the main road but the front tori is fairly easy to find. I went there with my friends and we all noticed the same amazing thing about the shrine: even though it sits directly next to the road, you can barely hear the rumble of cars as they go by. Trees cover the main path up to the shrine itself, and the copper gold roofs reflect the iconic blue Hiroshima sky. I’d recommend this shrine for the atmosphere alone. It’s really an amazing place to just take a few minutes, look at the trees and the hills, and then turn around for a sprawling view of the bay.

 

Hiroshima Gôkoku Jinja

Located on the grounds of Hiroshima-jô (Hiroshima Castle), Hiroshima Gôkoku Jinja is one of many war shrines found across the country. Similar to war memorials found across the United States, these shrines are founded following major conflicts to commemorate those fallen, the main difference is that peoples’ souls are enshrined within. Hiroshima Gôkoku Jinja was originally constructed in the mid 19th century to honor those who lost their lives in the Boshin War, the war which reinstated the emperor as the head of political power. The shrine was later expanded to enshrine thousands more souls following the conflicts between Japan, Russia, China, and the Americans. The shrine was moved to its current location during the reconstruction of the city following the first ever atomic bombing in 1945. Famously, the main tori gate at the entrance to the shrine was one of only a few surviving stuctures to survive the atomic blast the morning of August 6th and was immortalized in a panoramic photo from the hypocenter of the blast.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 9.

The main draw to this shrine is honestly the tori gate. It’s amazing to imagine such a seemingly simple structure surviving such a massive blast despite everything around it being completely leveled. The buildings have a very nice clean cut look with just enough traditional influence that you know you’re at a special location. The castle behind the shrine is often the main crowd magnet to the shrine so don’t be surprised to see some people walking by or through the shrine in samurai armor from the Edo period (tosei gusoku). There really isn’t anything that seriously draws visitors to the shrine other than the tori and the castle, but I would still recommend people take a minute to visit the shrine. It’s not far from the central shopping district of Hiroshima and offers a lovely reprieve from the bustle of the city.

 

Itsukushima Jinja

Itsukushima Jinja is one of the most famous shrines in Japan and has received patronage from equally powerful families over the years. The shrine is named after the island on which it stands, but more regularly the island is called Miyajima, meaning shrine island, while the shrine is named Itsukushima. Said to have been built as early as the 6th century, Itsukushima Jinja is not actually built on the island. Miyajima is itself a god and therefore the shrine it not built on the island, but the tidal flats. One of the most important and prominant patrons of the shrine was Taira Kiyomori, the first samurai to ever hold political power in the Imperial Court. The shrine was one of his greatest treasures, and with his pull in the Imperial Court, he made the shrine an oppulant complex with Noh theater stages, palace architecture, and a layout which resembles a bird with outstretched wings when seen from the opposite shore. Because of being built on tide flats, the shrine and iconic water tori appear to float in the water at high tide. At low tide visitors can walk out to the tori.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

I don't really want to do this, but I felt it was necessary to get the bad stuff out of the way before getting on to the serious rants that I have rumbling through my mind. So the bad is basically that the shrine is a tourist trap. So you're in Hiroshima, what should you do? Well anyone and everyone will tell you that you need to go to Miyajima and visit the temples and shrines. Therefore, everyone who has ever Googled Japan, Hiroshima, shrines, or anything related to anything Japanese has probably seen or heard of the tori at Itsukushima Jinja and will want to see it. Any free time available to people will be used going to this shrine and some of the other locations on the island. Your best bet for getting to the island and through the shrine with minimal crowds is to go either first thing in the morning, and I do mean first thing, or on weekdays when most people are doing people things. Beyond that, there really aren't many reasons not to go to the shrine.

There's a lot I can say about this shrine. For one, it's beautiful, serene, and iconic, and that's only the water! Ok, bad joke, but honestly this is one of the most amazing shrines in Japan and clearly deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage status. The shrine is built upon a myriad of support posts painted vermillian while the walls are painted a clean white. The shrine is clearly an attempt, albeit a successful one, to bring the grandeur of the Imperial Court to Hiroshima. On this island, it can be hypothisized (though not proven) that Taira Kiyomori may have even used the shrine and the island as a way to live beyond his status in the Imperial Court. Tropic blue waters ebb and flood everyday, the cove in which it is built is surrounded by the perfect scenery, and the affluent Imperial artistry exhibited at the shrine does very little to make a humble spectacle. This shrine was built to the be as grand as the gods, especially the one who built it: Taira Kiyomori. Ok, I admit that I have a prefered animosity towards Kiyomori, but I won't fault him for what he helped build.

There are several key locations in the complex because it is not dedicated to one god alone. There are several other gods whose shrines are small attachments to the main hall. The main shrine, the room where one worships the god directly, is one of the largest in Japan and is typically bustling year-round. The shrine is built around a center axis which has the main shrine, an outdoor stage where imperial dances are performed, and also a pier with a large bronze lantern at the end. This central axis does indeed line up with the tori in the water because it was once required that guests entering or leaving the shrine were to sail their boats through the tori to pay respects as one is expected to. (See Introduction to Shrines)

As mentioned earlier, the shrine is also home to a Noh stage for performances. The viewers sit on one walkway of the shrine while the stage and its walkway are separated by water. If you're not familiar with Noh theater, it's very much like the opera in terms of style and patronage though it is performed on a much smaller scale. The stage is easy to identify with an open square stage with a thatched roof above, a bridge crossing on the left, and a great pine tree painted on the stage's back wall. Noh is a style of slow moving theater that focuses on a mixture of music and poetry to tell the story. A small contingent of musicians sits on the stage playing a variety of instruments but in particular are a main flute player and two to three drummers who call out almost like howls and then hit their drums with one hand, each drum making a different style of pop. A collection of chanters sit to the side and essentially chant the exposition of the story between scenes. The main actors typically come in one at a time in ellaborate costumes ranging from fishermen to nobles of the court. The character enters to center stage and addresses the audience at all times as there are rarely other characters on stage. They enter the stage by walking slowly across the bridge from the backstage to the main stage. Across this bridge everything is silent as it is believed that the journey across the stage is also a journey for the actor to begin as themselves and end as the character. These main actors wear masks to fully immure themselves in the role they are performing. The characters will often perform monologues of poetry with the main chanter to tell the story. Once they've performed their piece, they slowly leave the way they came in silence. Noh was a beloved theater of the samurai nobility and so it seems only natural that Itsukushima Jinja would have a stage.

One of my favorite aspects of the shrine was the locality. The water is a beautiful shade of blue that becomes almost tropical in the shallows. The mountains of the island tower above giving an otherwise typical cove a rather close and intimate connection. Everything is close: the people, the buildings, the trees, everything. As you walk around the shrine you are given new glimpses at the world around you, but the shrine as well takes on new meanings and images in relation. Climbing to the pinacle of Miyajima and seeing all there is to see, the shrine in its bird-like design, takes on different meanings as you see it in relation to everything else. It is such a beautiful and charasmatic shrine that it's hard to look away.

 

Iwashimizu Hachimangû

Founded in the 9th century, Iwashimizu Hachimangû is one of the most important shrines in the Kyoto area. Enshrined is the god Hachiman, the God of War and Victory in competition, a popular god amungst the warrior class. Through numerous occasions in history, the Imperial court turned to Iwashimizu to pray for victory in various rebellions, revolts, and even during the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. The shrine has had multiple buildings added on over the years but the most notable additions come from Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, two of the Three Great Unifiers of Japan. Later in the Edo period, the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu would add several more buildings to the complex to make it what it is today.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 9.

Iwashimizu Hachimangû is one of those places that is pretty amazing in so many ways. First off, it's a quick ride on the Keihan subway line which does not go to Kyoto station, but it does follow the Kamo River so there are plenty of places to catch it. Once you get to Yawatashi station, there are two options of how to get to the shrine: hike or cable car. My friend and I took the cable car up the mountain because we had a lot to do, but it was quick and easy and only ￥200 for a round trip. The hike as I understand it is a bit steep (a commonality that pretty much every trail in Japan) but is very beautiful. The path lined with lanters weaves up through the trees to the top where the main building is. The main shrine itself is quite the spectacle with classic vermillion paint, gold trimming, dark wood roofs, and on a clear day, crisp blue skies above. As such, the shrine is designated a National Treasure and is a highly popular destination for athletes, students, and anyone seeking good luck particular with competitions.

 

Ikuta Jinja

Situated in the center of the Sannomiya district of Kobe, Ikuta Jinja is one of the oldest recorded shrines in Japan. Acording to the Nihon Shoki, Ikuta Jinja was founded at the turn of the 3rd century by the Empress Jingu and was surrounded by forest until the 19th century when the already bustling port city boomed with modernization. Today, Ikuta Jinja continues to represent the heart of Kobe both in its function as the spiritual center, as well as the geographical center.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 8.

Ikuta is a beautiful shrine smack dab in the center of Kobe. Around it are multitudes of restaurants that sell perfectly cooked portions of Kobe beef, one of the most expensive cuts of meat you can get in Japan. It is also only a few blocks from the major shopping centers in the area which helps visitors orient themselves within the city. When the shopping gets to be a bit much, the shrine is a welcome reprieve from the bustle of city life. If you're looking for something to photograph, Ikuta Jinja is definitely photogenic locality with vermillian tori, a massive gate, and views of the mountains only just overshadowing the complex. Though it seems small from the outside, Ikuta Jinja is a spaceous site once you get into the gates. The shrine also hosts various events throughout the year as it seeks to not only reinvigorate its position in the ever changing local climate, but also to bring in foreign tourists through its gates. I saw a gagaku performance (Imperial Court music) and had a wonderful time experiencing yet another classic Japanese art that continues to capture the imagination of those who watch and listen.

Also there’s a shrine to sake brewing. How wonderful is that?