Kashima Shrine
Kashima Shrine 鹿島神宮 (Kashima Jingu) | |
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Beppyo jinja | |
Location | |
Location | 2306-1, Kyuchu, Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, JAPAN, 314-0031 |
Geographic coordinates | 35°58′08″N 140°37′53″E / 35.96889°N 140.63139°E |
Architecture | |
Style | Sangensya-Nagare-zukuri |
Date established | (伝)初代神武天皇元年 |
Website | |
www | |
Glossary of Shinto |
Kashima Shrine (鹿島神宮, Kashima Jingū) is a
Introduction
Kashima Shrine is located at the top of the Kashima plateau in south-east
A large blade designated as a
The
Enshrined deity
Kashima Ōkami (鹿島大神, Kashima-no-Ōkami) is the official title of the main enshrined deity and identified as Takemikazuchi (武甕槌大神). In some historical texts he is also known as the great god of thunder.
According to legend,
History
According the shrine legend, Kashima Jingū was established in the first year of the legendary
During the
Following the
The shrine suffered only moderate damage in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. The main torii gate was destroyed and 64 of the stone lanterns lining the shrine's pathways fell over. Although none of the main buildings were destroyed, the total cost of repairing the structures came to 170 million Yen. Following the earthquake, the first large scale archaeological excavation ever made on the site was conducted in the northwestern side of the precincts. Many artifacts dating back to the Nara period were uncovered.
Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival
This special festival held once every 12 years in the Year of the Horse is to honour the great deities Takemikazuchi of Kashima Shrine and Futsunushi of Katori Shrine. The festival is one of great pride for the people in the areas of Kashima and Katori and said to be one of the biggest in Japan. The next Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival will be in 2026.
The festival began during the time of Emperor Ōjin although it was stopped once during the civil warring of the Muromachi period . In 1870, the tradition of the festival was revived and given imperial status. In 1887 it was decided that the festival would be held every 12 years in the Year of the Horse.
Today the Grand Imperial Ofuna festival begins in the morning on the first of September and officials from the imperial court are sent to convey the blessings of the Emperor. In the early morning of the second day a mikoshi (portable shrine) from Kashima Shrine is carried overland along the edge of Lake Kitaura, a smaller part of Lake Kasumigaura, to a large boat waiting in the harbor. The boat, adorned with a great Ryūtō (龍頭) dragon motif, then joins a larger fleet of other colourful boats (in 2002 there were around 90) and carries the mikoshi across the lake to the other side. From there a divine procession awaits to take the mikoshi to Katori Shrine where the main festival takes place. After the festival a special temporary logging known as an Angu (行宮) is constructed and the Mikoshi is taken there before being returned to its main shrine in the afternoon of the third day.
Festivals and annual events
January
- New Years Day Service (1st, 06:00)
- Festival of Origins (3rd, 10:00)
- White Horse Festival (7th, 18:00)
February
- Setsubun Festival (Setsubun Day, 18:00)
- Kigen Era Festival (11th, 10:00)
- Bountiful Crops Festival (17th, 10:00)
March
- Saitousai Main Festival of Colour (9th, 10:00)
- Spring Festival (9th, 18:00)
- Spring Equinox and Spirits of the Ancestors Festival (Spring Equinox Day, 10:00)
April
- Rear Shrine Spring Service (1st, 10:00)
- Inner Shrine Spring Service (2nd)
- Shrine Ruins Spring Service (3rd)
- Sakado and Numao Shrine Spring Service (4th)
- Outer Shrine Spring Service (5th)
- Outer Shrine Divine Spring Service (6th)
- Ikisu Shrine Annual Spring Service (14th)
May
- Bountiful Harvest and Horseback Archery Festival (1st, 13:00)
June
- Summer Solstice Purification Ceremony (29th, 18:00)
- Ōharai Shinto Purification Ceremony (30th, 15:00)
September
- Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival (1st–3rd, in 2014)
- Annual Shrine Festival (1st, 10:00)
- Chinese Lantern Festival (1st, 18:00)
- Fortune Festival (1st, 20:00)
- Return of the Deities Festival (2nd, 15:00)
- Xinggong Angu Imperial Logging Festival (2nd, 22:00)
- Enshrinement of the Ancestors Festival (21st, 18:00)
- Autumn Equinox Festival (22nd, 08:00)
- Great Festival of Ancestral Spirits (22nd, 08:00)
October
- Offering of the Harvest Festival (17th, 10:00)
November
- Rear Shrine Autumn Service (1st, 10:00)
- Inner Shrine Autumn Service (2nd)
- Meiji Festival (3rd, 09:00)
- Sumo Festival (3rd, 10:00)
- Shrine Ruins Autumn Service (3rd)
- Sakado and Numao Shrine Autumn Service (4th)
- Outer Shrine Autumn Service (5th)
- Outer Shrine Autumn Service (6th)
- Ikisu Shrine Autumn Service (13th)
- Shinjyosai Offering of the Harvest to the gods (23rd, 10:00)
December
- Shrine Offerings Ceremony (20th, 10:00)
- Tencho Festival (23rd, 10:00)
- Shinto Purification Ceremony (31st, 15:00)
- New Year's Eve Service (31st, 15:00)
Monthly service
- Ceremony for the Ancestors (1st day of each month, 10:00)
See also
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords)
- Kashima-Shinryu
- Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu
- Kashima Shinto-ryu
- Kashima Antlers
- Deer (mythology)
- List of Jingū
- List of Historic Sites of Japan (Ibaraki)
External links
- Kashima Jingū website (in Japanese)
- Kashima City website Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
References
- ^ "鹿島神宮境内 附 郡家跡" [Kashima Jingū keidai tsuketari gūke ato] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- Meik Skoss (1994). "A Bit of Background" Archived 2005-03-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 7, 2005.
- George Mccall (2009). "Tsukuhara Bokuden" Retrieved February 15, 2012.