Benzaiten, is an East Asian Buddhist goddess who originated mainly from the Hindu Indian Saraswati, goddess of speech, the arts, and learning. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the sixth through eighth centuries, mainly via Classical Chinese translations of the Golden Light Sutra, which has a section devoted to her. Benzaiten was also adopted into Shinto religion, and there are several Shinto shrines dedicated to her.
Izumo-taisha, officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi, famous as the Shinto deity of marriage and to Kotoamatsukami, distinguishing heavenly kami. The shrine is believed by many to be the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan, even predating the Ise Grand Shrine.
A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, the deities of the Shinto religion.
Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also named Inari, which is 233 metres (764 ft) above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and take approximately 2 hours to walk up.
Suwa Grand Shrine, historically also known as Suwa Shrine or Suwa Daimyōjin (諏訪大明神), is a group of Shinto shrines in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The shrine complex is the ichinomiya of former Shinano Province and is considered to be one of the oldest shrines in existence, being implied by the Nihon Shoki to already stand in the late 7th century.
A Kumano shrine is a type of Shinto shrine which enshrines the three Kumano mountains: Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi [Kumano Gongen (熊野権現)]. There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan, and each has received its kami from another Kumano shrine through a process of propagation called bunrei (分霊) or kanjō (勧請).
Sumiyoshi-taisha (住吉大社), also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan. However, the oldest shrine that enshrines the Sumiyoshi sanjin, the three Sumiyoshi kami, is the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata.
Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社) is a Shinto shrine and part of the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range of Japan. The Kumano Kodō route connects it to other sites under the same classification, which are primarily located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The four sites on the route, classified as pilgrimage destinations and World Heritage Sites, are: 1) Nachi Taisha; 2) Hongū Taisha; 3) Hayatama Taisha; 4) Koya-san.
Toyouke-hime is the goddess of agriculture, industry, food, clothing, and houses in the Shinto religion. Originally enshrined in the Tanba region of Japan, she was called to reside at Gekū, Ise Shrine, about 1,500 years ago at the age of Emperor Yūryaku to offer sacred food to Amaterasu Ōmikami, the Sun Goddess.
Ōasahiko Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Ōasachō-Bandō neighborhood of the city of Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the shrines claiming the title of ichinomiya of former Awa Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on November 1.
The Engishiki is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927.
The modern system of ranked Shinto shrines was an organizational aspect of the establishment of Japanese State Shinto. This system classified Shinto shrines as either official government shrines or "other" shrines. The official shrines were divided into
- Imperial shrines (kampeisha), which are parsed into minor, medium, or major sub-categories; and
- National shrines (kokuheisha), which are similarly categorized as minor, medium, or major.
The Niutsuhime Shrine or Nibutsuhime Shrine is a Shinto shrine in located the town of Katsuragi, Ito district, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is one of three shrines claiming the title of ichinomiya of Kii Province. Also known as "Amano Taisha" and "Amano Shisho Myojin", it is the head shrine of about 180 Niutsuhime Shrines around the country. Its precincts are designated a National Historic Site and the shrine is one of the constituent assets of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.
Sarutahiko Ōkami is a deity of the Japanese religion of Shinto; he is the leader of the earthly kami. Norito also mentions him with the title Daimyōjin instead of Ōkami. Sarutahiko Ōkami was the head of the kunitsukami and in the Jinnō Shōtōki is said to have been the ancestor of Otanomikoto.
Kōra Taisha is a Shinto shrine located on Mount Kōra of the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the ichinomiya of former Chikugo Province as well as its sōja shrine. The shrine's main festival is held annually on 9 October. It was also known as the Kōra Tamatare no mikoto Jinja (高良玉垂命神社) or the Kōra Tamatare no miya (高良玉垂宮)
In Japan, a chinjusha is a Shinto shrine which enshrines a tutelary kami; that is, a patron spirit that protects a given area, village, building or a Buddhist temple. The Imperial Palace has its own tutelary shrine dedicated to the 21 guardian gods of Ise Shrine. Tutelary shrines are usually very small, but there is a range in size, and the great Hiyoshi Taisha for example is Enryaku-ji's tutelary shrine. The tutelary shrine of a temple or the complex the two together form are sometimes called a temple-shrine. If a tutelary shrine is called chinju-dō, it is the tutelary shrine of a Buddhist temple. Even in that case, however, the shrine retains its distinctive architecture.
The Ichinomiya Asama Jinja (一宮浅間神社) is a Shintō shrine in the Ichinomiya neighborhood of the city of Fuefuki in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. It is one of two shrines which vie for the total of ichinomiya of former Kai Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 15. It is also known as simply the Asama Jinja (浅間神社)
Shinshi or "divine messengers" are animals in Japanese mythology that are believed to be associated with a kami, a divine being. These animals are also known as kami no tsukai or tsukawashime. In ancient texts such as Kojiki and Nihongi, there are tales of special animals that acted on behalf of the kami to transmit the divine will or to bear oracles.
Izawa-no-miya (伊雑宮) is a Shinto shrine in the Kaminogō neighborhood of Isobe in the city of Shima in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the two shrines claiming the title of ichinomiya of former Shima Province. Together with the Takihara-no-miya (瀧原宮) in Taiki, it is one of the Amaterasu-Ōkami no Tonomiya (天照大神の遙宮), or external branches of the Inner Shrine of the Ise Grand Shrine.
Hotaka Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Hotaka, Azumino, Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the three main shrines in Shinano Province. The Engishiki Jinmyocho describes it as a Myojin Taisha and it is now a Beppyo shrine.
