| Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine 石清水八幡宮 | |
|---|---|
 The Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shinto |
| Deity | Hachiman |
| Festival | iwashimizu-sai (石清水祭) (September 15th) |
| Type | Hachiman Shrine Kokushi genzaisha Twenty-Two Shrines Chokusaisha Beppyo jinja Shikinaisya Formerkanpeitaisha |
| Location | |
| Location | Yawata, Kyoto |
  Shown within Kyoto Prefecture Show map of Kyoto Prefecture Iwashimizu Hachimangū (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
 Interactive map of Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine 石清水八幡宮 | |
| Coordinates | 34°52′47″N135°42′00″E / 34.87972°N 135.70000°E /34.87972; 135.70000 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Hachiman-zukuri |
| Established | 859 |
| Website | |
| www | |
 Glossary of Shinto | |
Iwashimizu Hachimangū (石清水八幡宮) is aShinto shrine located in the city ofYawata inKyoto Prefecture,Japan. It is one of theTwenty-Two Shrines in theHeian period ranked system of Shinto shrines, and along with theIse Grand Shrine, one of the tworoyal ancestral shrines for theImperial family. It is one of the three majorHachiman shrines, along withUsa Jingū inUsa, Oita and eitherHakozaki Shrine (Higashi-ku, Fukuoka) orTsurugaoka Hachiman-gū (Kamakura, Kanagawa. Ten buildings of the shrine, including the main hall, have been designated asNational treasures.In January 2012, the grounds of the shrine were designated as aNational Historic Site[1]
Thekami enshrined at Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū isHachiman, which is identified here as a trinity consisting of:
In 859, a monk fromDaian-ji inHeijō-kyō modern-dayNara named Gyōkyō (a disciple ofKūkai) claimed to have received a divine message fromUsa Jingū inBuzen Province saying, "I will move my shrine to the peak of Mount Otoko near the capital and protect the country."[3] The following year, in 860,Emperor Seiwa commenced construction on its earliest structures.[4][5] However, according to theKamakura period "Miya-dera Enji-shō," there was an "Iwashimizu-dera" on Mount Otoko before the founding of Iwashimizu-Hachiman-gu. Severalroof tiles dating back to before the shrine's founding have been discovered on the grounds of the shrine, lending some physical evidence to this account.
This was a period of syncretism between Shinto andBuddhism (Shinbutsu-shūgō), and from the beginning Iwashimizu was primarily a Buddhist complex (jingū-ji) called Iwashimizu Hachiman-gūji (石清水八幡宮寺), with aYakushi Nyorai as itshonzon. In 862 it changed its official name to Gokoku-ji (護国寺) further emphasizing its Buddhist nature.[6]
Iwashimizu Hachiman-gūji was regarded by the Imperial Court as the guardian of theura-kimon, or supernaturally vulnerable southwestern direction ofHeian-kyō, serving a position analogous toEnryaku-ji onMount Hiei, which guarded the northeastern direction. Due to its proximity to the capital, the shine was regarded in theEngishiki records of 939 as in a position second only theIse Grand Shrine. The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage throughout theHeian period.[7] In 965,Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardiankami of Japan. Theseheihaku were initially presented to 16 shrines including the Ōharano Shrine.[8] Over the course if its history, numerous emperors and members of the court came to the shrine to worship. In 979Emperor Enyū visited the shrine; and the shrine continued to be visited by nearly all the emperors until the reign ofEmperor Go-Daigo, when the sovereigns began to live more secluded lives.[9] The shrine overshadowed Usa Jingū in the number ofshōen landed estates under its control.
The shrine was also the clan shrine for the influentialMinamoto clan, and its various cadet branches (including theAshikaga clan). Especially afterMinamoto no Yoshiie underwent hisgenpuku ceremony at the shrine, and took thenom-de-guerre of Hachimantarō Yoshiie (八幡太郎義家), the shrine came be associated with thesamurai class and for victory in war. Branches of the shrine were established throughout Japan, wherever the Minamoto clan had landholdings. In 1456Ashikaga Yoshimasa visited the shrine and all the officials of theDaijō-kan joined him in going there.[10] However, after theŌnin war (1467–1477), Imperial visits were held in abeyance for 200 years.[11] In theEdo period, the approaches to the shrine were lined with 48 sub-shrines.
After theMeiji restoration, in accordance with theShinbutsu bunri edicts of the newMeiji government, the name of the shrine was changed in 1869 to "Otokoyama Hachiman-gū". Thehonzon Yakushi Nyorai statue was moved to Tōzan-ji onAwaji island, and other statues to Zenhō-ji at the eastern foot of Mount Otoko. Most of the Buddhist temple structures were dismantled and relocated or destroyed. In 1871 under theModern system of ranked Shinto Shrines the shrine was designated am Imperial shrine, 1st rank (官幣大社,Kanpei-taisha), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines underState Shinto. In January 1918, its name was officially changed to Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū.
TheHonden of the shrine consists of an inner hall and an outer hall. Where the eaves of the two halls meet there is a "golden gutter" donated byOda Nobunaga in August 1580. Since it was built by imperial order of Emperor Seiwa in 859, it has burned down many times, undergoing 14 rebuilds and 17 repairs. The reason it is divided into an inner hall and an outer hall is because it is said that the gods move to the outer hall during the day and to the inner hall at night. All of the structures listed below are designated asNational Treasures and all were constructed by order ofShogunTokugawa Iemitsu in 1634.
In addition, theb shrine owns many structures and objects which have been designatedImportant Cultural Properties
A 2005 survey of the treasures at Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu revealed, among other things, the existence of akris, a jeweledIndonesian dagger, which was subsequently exhibited atKyoto National Museum as part of an exhibit entitled "Famous Swords from Kyoto's Temples and Shrines."[12]
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