| Suwa Grand Shrine 諏訪大社 (Suwa-taisha) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shinto |
| Deity | Takeminakata Yasakatome Kotoshironushi |
| Festival | Onbashira Festival Ontōsai (April 15th) Ofune Matsuri (August 1st) Misayama Festival (August 27th) |
| Location | |
| Location | Chino City,Nagano (Kamisha Maemiya) Suwa City, Nagano (Kamisha Honmiya) Shimosuwa,Nagano (Shimosha) |
  Shown within Nagano Prefecture | |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°59′53″N138°07′10″E / 35.99806°N 138.11944°E /35.99806; 138.11944 (Kamisha Honmiya) 35°59′28.1″N138°08′00.2″E / 35.991139°N 138.133389°E /35.991139; 138.133389 (Kamisha Maemiya) |
| Architecture | |
| Date established | Unknown (circa 6th century?) |
| Website | |
| suwataisha | |
 Glossary of Shinto | |
Suwa Grand Shrine (Japanese:諏訪大社,Hepburn:Suwa-taisha), historically also known asSuwa Shrine (諏訪神社Suwa-jinja) orSuwaDaimyōjin (諏訪大明神), is a group ofShinto shrines inNagano Prefecture, Japan. The shrine complex is theichinomiya of formerShinano Province and is considered to be one of the oldest shrines in existence, being implied by theNihon Shoki to already stand in the late 7th century.[1]
The entire Suwa shrine complex consists of four main shrines grouped into two sites: the Upper Shrine orKamisha (上社), comprising theMaemiya (前宮, former shrine) and theHonmiya (本宮, main shrine), and the Lower Shrine orShimosha (下社), comprising theHarumiya (春宮, spring shrine) and theAkimiya (秋宮, autumn shrine).[2][3] The Upper Shrine is located on the south side ofLake Suwa, in the cities ofChino andSuwa, while the Lower Shrine is on the northern side of the lake, in the town ofShimosuwa.[4][5]
In addition to these four main shrines, some sixty otherauxiliary shrines scattered throughout the Lake Suwa area (ranging fromminiature stone structures to medium to large sized edifices and compounds) are also part of the shrine complex. These are the focus of certain rituals in the shrine's religious calendar.[6]
Historically, the Upper and the Lower Shrines have been two separate entities, each with its own set of shrines and religious ceremonies. The existence of two main sites, each one having a system parallel to but completely different from the other, complicates a study of the Suwa belief system as a whole. One circumstance that simplifies the matter somewhat, however, is that very little documentation for the Lower Shrine has been preserved; almost all extant historical and ritual documents regarding Suwa Shrine extant today are those of the Upper Shrine.[7]
The Upper and Lower Shrines of Suwa were historically associated with a male and femalekami, respectively. The god of the Upper Shrine, namedTakeminakata in the imperially-commissionedofficial histories, is also often popularly referred to as 'SuwaMyōjin' (諏訪明神), 'Suwa Daimyōjin' (諏訪大明神), or 'Suwa-no-Ōkami' (諏訪大神, 'GreatKami of Suwa'). The goddess of the Lower Shrine, held to be Takeminakata's consort, is given the nameYasakatome in these texts.
While both theKojiki (ca. 712 CE) and theSendai Kuji Hongi (807-936 CE) portray Takeminakata as a son ofŌkuninushi, the god ofIzumo Province, who fled to Suwa after his shameful defeat in the hands of the warrior godTakemikazuchi, who was sent by the gods ofheaven to demand that his father relinquish his rule over the terrestrial realm,[9][10][11][12] other myths and legends depict the Suwa deity differently. In one story, for instance, the god of the Upper Shrine is an interloper who conquered the region by defeating various local deities who resisted him such as the godMoriya (Moreya).[13][14][15][16] In a feudal Buddhist legend, this god is identified as a king from India whose feats included quelling a rebellion in his kingdom and defeating a dragon inPersia beforemanifesting in Japan as a nativekami.[17][18] In another feudal folk story, the god is said to have originally been awarrior namedKōga Saburō who returned froma journey into theunderworld only to find himself transformed into a serpent or dragon.[12][19][20] A fourth myth portrays the Suwa deity appointing an eight-year-old boy to become his priest andphysical 'body'; the boy eventually became the founder of the Upper Shrine's high priestly lineage.[21][22][23][24]
Both Takeminakata and Yasakatome are now worshiped together in the Upper and Lower Shrines, with the godKotoshironushi (another son of Ōkuninushi and Takeminakata's brother) being enshrined alongside them in the Lower Shrine as an auxiliary deity.[25][26]
Like others among Japan's oldest shrines, three of Suwa Shrine's four main sites - theKamisha Honmiya and the two main shrines of theShimosha - do not have ahonden, the building that normally enshrines a shrine'skami.[27] Instead, the Upper Shrine'sobjects of worship were the sacred mountain behind theKamisha Honmiya,[28][29][27] a sacred rock (磐座iwakura) upon which Suwa Myōjin was thought to descend,[30][29] and the shrine's former high priest orŌhōri, who was considered to be the physical incarnation of the god himself.[31] This was later joined by Buddhist structures (removed or demolished during theMeiji period) which were also revered as symbols of the deity.[32]
The Lower Shrine, meanwhile, has sacred trees for itsgo-shintai: asugi tree in theHarumiya, and ayew tree in theAkimiya.[27][29][33][34]
The origins of the Upper and Lower Shrines of Suwa are shrouded in mystery. TheNihon Shoki (720 CE) refers to envoys sent to worship "the wind-gods ofTatsuta and the gods of Suwa and Minochi inShinano [Province]"[a] during the fifth year of the reign ofEmpress Jitō (691 CE),[1] which suggests that a notablekami in Suwa was already being worshiped by theimperial (Yamato) court as awater and/orwind deity during the late 7th century, on par with the wind gods of Tatsuta Shrine inYamato Province (modernNara Prefecture).[35][36]
Fune Kofun, aburial mound dating from the early 5th century discovered near theKamisha Honmiya in 1959, yielded a number of important artifacts, among them weapons and implements of a ritual nature such as twodakōken (蛇行剣, awave-bladed ceremonial sword). The tomb's location and the nature of the grave goods suggest that the individuals buried therein were important personages perhaps connected in some way to what would become the Upper Shrine. The presence of the snake-likedakōken and other items made of deerantlers have been connected to the identification of the Upper Shrine's godas a serpent in folk beliefs and the prominence of hunting animals such as deer in the shrine's rituals.[37][38]
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Local historians have seen the legend that speaks of the Upper Shrine's deity as an intruding conqueror who wrested control of theLake Suwa region from the native godMoriya (Moreya) to reflect the subjugation of local clans who controlled the area by invaders allied with theYamato state - identified as the founders of the Upper Shrine's high priestly (大祝Ōhōri) house - around the late 6th/early 7th centuries, with the appearance of burial mounds markedly different from the type exemplified by Fune Kofun heretofore common in the region around this time period being taken as the signs of Yamato expansion into Suwa,[37][39][40][41] though this idea has been called into question in recent years due to the myth's late (medieval) attestation and its similarity to stories concerningthe conflict betweenPrince Shōtoku andMononobe no Moriya that were in wide circulation during the Middle Ages.[42][43][44]
'Takeminakata', the name by which the deity of the Upper Shrine is more commonly known to the imperial court, appears in the historical record for the first time in theKojiki's (711-712 CE)kuni-yuzuri myth cycle. Although the work associates Takeminakata with theprovince of Izumo and its deityŌkuninushi, references to such a deity are curiously absent from theNihon Shoki or other sources dealing with the province. Takeminakata is thus believed by a number of scholars to have been interpolated by theKojiki's compilers into a myth which did not originally feature him.[45][46][47][48]
The earliest surviving literary references to a shrine in Suwa dedicated to Takeminakata are in theShinshō Kyakuchoku Fushō (新抄格勅符抄 'New Extracts from Decrees and Edicts', 806 CE), which speaks of "Takeminakatatomi-no-Mikoto-no-Kami" being given land grants by the court,[49][50] and theSendai Kuji Hongi, commonly dated to the 9th-10th century, which explicitly refers to Takeminakata as being enshrined in "Suwa Shrine in thedistrict of Suwa in Shinano Province" (信濃国諏方郡諏方神社).[45][51]
Thenational histories record Takeminakata's exceptionally rapid rise in importance: from rankless (无位), the imperial court steadily promoted the deity to increasingly higher ranks within the space of twenty-five years, beginning with junior fifth, upper grade (従五位上) in 842 CE.[52] By 867 CE, 'Takeminakatatomi-no-Mikoto' is recorded in theNihon Sandai Jitsuroku as being elevated to the rank of junior first (従一位).[53][52]
One theory suggests that the cult of the Lower Shrine may have originated from the worship of thekami of the nearby mountains and rivers. TheHarumiya, one of the Lower Shrine's two component shrines, is located beside theTogawa River, which flows from theYashimagahara Wetlands northwest ofKirigamine Plateau, where Moto-Misayama (旧御射山), the former sacred hunting grounds of the Lower Shrine, is situated.[54][55]
The Lower Shrine is also associated with a clan known as the Kanasashi (金刺, also read as 'Kanesashi' or 'Kanazashi'), the offshoot of a local magnate clan (kuni no miyatsuko) which eventually became the shrine's high priests. The Kanasashi are thought to have been originally district magistrates (郡領gunryō) in charge of producing and collecting taxed goods and laborers to be sent to the central government inYamato Province.[57] Their seat of power seems to have been located near what is now the Lower Shrine, which was close to the important crossroads that led to the capital.[58] Indeed, theShimosha Akimiya may have started as a kind of ancestral shrine to the clan's forebears; it is located nearbyAozuka Kofun, a burial mound notable for being the only keyhole tomb in the Lake Suwa region and which may have been the grave of a Kanasashi clan member.[59][55]
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TheNihon Sandai Jitsuroku mentions a Kanasashi, Sadanaga (貞長), receiving thekabaneŌason (大朝臣) in the year 863.[b][60] A genealogy of the Lower Shrine's high priestly line records an elder brother of his, Masanaga (正長), who in addition to being the district governor (大領dairyō) ofHanishina District, also held the title ofMegamihōri (売神祝) or 'priest of the goddess'. The same title appears in a seal in the Lower Shrine's possession (designed as anImportant Cultural Property in 1934) traditionally said to have been bequeathed by theEmperor Heizei (reigned 806-809).[61][62] This shows that the shrine's deity - named 'Yasakatome' inimperial records - is already conceived of as a goddess in the 9th century.
As Takeminakata, the Upper Shrine's god, rose up in rank, so did Yasakatome,[63] so that by 867 CE, the goddess had been promoted to senior second rank (正二位).[53]
By the late Heian period, Suwa became considered as Shinano Province's chief shrine orichinomiya.[64][65] with literary mentions attesting to its status. The 'Register of Deities' (神名帳Jinmyōchō) section of theEngishiki (927 CE) lists the 'Minakatatomi Shrines' (南方刀美神社) as the twomajor ('eminent') shrines of Suwa district.[c][66] 'Suwa Shrine of Shinano' is mentioned briefly inMinamoto no Tsuneyori (976/985-1039) diary, theSakeiki (左経記) as the representative shrine for Shinano Province whenEmperor Go-Ichijō sent an envoy to shrines in every province in the country in 1017 CE.[67][68]
It was probably around this time that thekami of Suwa began to be conceived of as a warrior deity. A famous legend relates that the Suwa deity appeared to the 8th century generalSakanoue no Tamuramaro during his campaign to subjugate theEmishi of northeastern Japan; in thanksgiving for the god's assistance, Tamuramaro was said to have petitioned the court for the institution of the shrine's religious festivals.[69] TheRyōjin Hishō, an anthology of songs compiled in 1179, names the shrine of Suwa among famous shrines tomartial deities in the eastern half of the country.[70]
As Buddhism began to penetrate Suwaand syncretize with local beliefs, the deities of the Upper and Lower Shrines came to beidentified with thebodhisattvasSamantabhadra (Fugen) andAvalokiteśvara (Kannon), respectively.[71][72][32]Buddhist temples and other edifices (most of which belonged to the esotericShingon school) were erected on the precincts of both shrines, such as a sanctuary to Samantabhadra known as theFugen-dō (普賢堂) and a stonepagoda symbolizing the legendaryiron tower in India where, according to Shingon tradition,Nagarjuna was said to have received esoteric teachings fromVajrasattva (considered to be an aspect of Samantabhadra) called theTettō (鉄塔 "iron tower"). For a long time, these two structures were considered as the Upper Shrine's objects of worship.[32] As Buddhist ethics,which opposed the taking of life andMahayana'sstrict views on vegetarianism somewhat conflicted with Suwa Myōjin's status as a god of hunting, the Suwa cult devisedelaborate theories that legitimized the hunting, eating, and sacrifice of animals such asdeer (a beast sacred to the god) within a Buddhist framework.[73] The shrines produced special talismans (鹿食免kajikimen "permit to eatvenison") andchopsticks (鹿食箸kajikibashi) that were held to allow the bearer to eat meat.[27][74]
The prominence of hunting in the shrine's religious rites undoubtedly caught the attention of thesamurai class.[75] Devotion to the deity of Suwa (especially as god of war) became more widespread thanks in part to the rise of the Upper Shrine's high priestly family - now calling themselves the Jin/Miwa (神) or theSuwa (諏訪)[74] - as vassals (gokenin) of theKamakura shogunate and theHōjō clan.[76] The shrines of Suwa and the priestly clans thereof flourished under the patronage of the Hōjō, which promoted devotion to the god as a sign of loyalty to the shogunate. The religious festivals of the Upper and Lower Shrines attracted many of the samurai caste as well as other social classes, both from within Shinano and outside.[76] The Hōjō appointed local land managers (jitō) and retainers, who were sometimes Hōjō family members, as sponsors (御頭otō orontō) of the festivals, which helped provide financial support for the shrines.[77] To offset the burden of this service, these sponsors enjoyed a number of benefits such as exemption from certain provincial taxes and the right to be pardoned for crimes during their year of service asotō.[78]
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Around this time, Suwa branch shrines became numerous all across Japan, especially in territories held by clans devoted to the god (for instance, theKantō region, traditional stronghold of theMinamoto (Seiwa Genji) clan).[79] A number of factors were instrumental for this spread of the Suwa Myōjin cult. First, warriors from Shinano Province who were rewarded lands in the western provinces by the shogunate in the aftermath of theJōkyū War of 1221 took the Suwa cult with them. Second, the shogunate appointed major non-Shinano vassals to manors in the province, who then acted as sponsors and participants in the shrine rituals, eventually installing the cult in their native areas.[80] A third factor was the exemption granted to the shrines of Suwa from the ban onfalconry (takagari) - a favorite sport of the upper classes - imposed by the shogunate in 1212, due to the importance of hunting in its rites. As a loophole to this ban, thegokenin built Suwa branch shrines in their own provinces where 'Suwa style' falconry could be performed, ostensibly to collect offerings for the shrine.[81] The Suwa cult was also propagated by wandering preachers (御師oshi) who traveled around Shinano and neighboring provinces, preaching stories about the Suwa deity as well as distributingkajikimen andkajikibashi to the populace, collecting offerings and donations in exchange.[74][82]
The shrines suffered a heavy setback at the downfall of the Hōjō and the collapse of the shogunate in 1333. Testifying to the close connections between the warrior families of the Suwa region and the Hōjō is the fact that many members of the Suwa clan present in Kamakura duringthe siege of the city in 1333 committedsuicide alongsideHōjō Takatoki.[83]
Takatoki's son, the youngTokiyuki, sought refuge in Shinano withSuwa Yorishige (諏訪頼重, not to be confused with theSengoku perioddaimyō of thesame name) and his son and then-Ōhōri,Tokitsugu (時継).[84] In July–August 1335, the Suwa and other clans who remained loyal to the Hōjō, led by Tokiyuki, instigated an unsuccessful armed rebellion with the intention of reestablishing the Kamakura shogunate, which ended with the defeat of Tokiyuki's forces and Yorishige, Tokitsugu and some others committing suicide.[84][85][86] Tokitsugu's son who inherited the priesthood, Yoritsugu (頼継), was stripped from his position and replaced by Fujisawa Masayori (藤沢政頼), who hailed from a cadet branch of the clan. Now declared an enemy of the imperial throne, Yoritsugu went into hiding.[84][87]
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It is believed that the story ofKōga Saburō, which portrays Suwa Myōjin as a warrior hero and a hunter, originated in the aftermath of the shogunate's collapse and the SuwaŌhōri's status becoming diminished as a result. Whereas formerly, the Suwa clan relied on the doctrine of the Upper Shrine's high priest being a god in the flesh to exert authority over its warrior devotees (Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1186 reprimanded subordinates for not obeying theŌhōri, declaring that his words are those of the god of Suwa himself[88]), with the loss of official backing the Suwa shrine network became decentralized. Warriors who were devoted to the Suwa cult sought for stories (setsuwa) about the deity that did not involve theŌhōri or the Suwa clan, leading to the rise of localizedsetsuwa such as the Kōga Saburō legend.[89]
Suwa (or Kosaka) Enchū, government official and member of a cadet branch of the Suwa, took it upon himself to revive the former status of Suwa Shrine.[90] To this end, he commissioned a set of tenillustrated scrolls (later expanded to twelve) showcasing the shrine's history and its various religious ceremonies, which was completed in 1356. The actual scrolls were later lost, but its text portions were copied and widely circulated, becoming known as theSuwa Daimyōjin Ekotoba.[91]
By the 14th century, the high priestly houses of the Upper and Lower Shrines, the Suwa and the Kanasashi were at war with each other and, in the Suwa's case, among themselves. During theNanboku-chō period, the Suwa supported theSouthern Court, while the Kanasashi chose to side with theNorthern Court. This and other reasons contributed to the state of war between the two families, as well as other clans allied with them, during theMuromachi andSengoku periods. During a battle between the two factions in 1483, the Lower Shrines were burned down by the Upper Shrine's forces; its high priest, Kanasashi Okiharu (金刺興春), was killed in battle.[92]
In 1535,Takeda Nobutora ofKai Province, who fought against the Suwa clan a number of times, had a truce with clan leaderSuwa Yorishige and sent his daughter Nene off to him as his wife. His clan, theTakeda, were already known to be devotees of the Suwa deity since the 12th century, when in 1140, Takeda Nobuyoshi donated lands to each of the two shrines of Suwa in thanksgiving for his defeat of theTaira. By marrying his daughter to Yorishige, Nobutora was trying to bring himself closer to the Suwa and thus, ensuring that he would receive the blessings of the god.[93]
In 1542, Nobutora's sonShingen invaded Shinano and defeated Yorishige in a series of sieges; two years later Yorishige was forced to commitseppuku.[94][95] Shingen then took Yorishige's daughter (his niece) to be one of his wives and had a son with her,Katsuyori, who would eventually prove to be the downfall of the Takeda.[95] Shingen notably did not give his son thecharacter traditionally used in Takeda names, 信 (nobu), but instead the character 頼 (yori) used for the names of Suwa clan members,[95] apparently as a sign of Katsuyori being the intended heir to the Suwa legacy and of Shingen's desire to place the land of Suwa and its shrines under Takeda control.[96]
After Yorishige's downfall, Suwa was divided between the Takeda and their ally, Takatō Yoritsugu (高遠頼継), who coveted the position of high priest.[97] When he did not receive the priestly office, Yoritsugu invaded the other half of the territory that was in Takeda hands. Ensuring that Yoritsugu will not receive support from the former Suwa retainers, Shingen made Yorishige's son the nominal leader of the forces of resistance and retaliated by capturing Yoritsugu's castles.[98] Shingen is said to have prayed at the Upper Shrine for victory, vowing to donate a horse and a set of armor should he defeat Yoritsugu.[93] His making Yorishige's son the nominal head of his troops is also believed to be a way to invoke the aid of the Suwa deity.[93] Apart from this, there are other recorded instances of Shingen praying to the god to assist him in his campaigns.[99]
From 1565 onwards, Shingen (who by now had conquered the whole of Shinano Province) issued orders for the revival of religious rituals in the Upper and Lower Shrines which were discontinued due to the chaos of war and lack of financial support, which also helped him both strengthen his control over Shinano and unify the people of the province.[100][101][102]
Shingen's devotion to the god of Suwa is also evident in some of his war banners, which bore the god's syncretized Buddhist name:Suwa Nangū Hosshō Kamishimo Daimyōjin (諏方南宮法性上下大明神 'Dharma-NatureDaimyōjin of the Suwa Upper and Lower Southern Shrines'), as well as his iconic helmet, the Suwa Hosshō helmet (諏訪法性兜).[103][104]
In 1582, the eldest son ofOda Nobunaga,Nobutada, led an army intoTakeda-controlled Shinano and burned the Upper Shrine to the ground.[105][106][107] The shrine was subsequently rebuilt two years later.[108]
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During theEdo period, both shrines were recognized and supported by theTokugawa shogunate and the local government, with both being given land grants by the shōgun and the local daimyō.[100][101]
The period saw escalating tensions between the priests and the shrine monks (shasō) of the Suwa complex, with increasing attempts from the priesthood to distance themselves from the Buddhist temples. By the end of the Edo period, the priests, deeply influenced byHirata Atsutane'snativist, anti-Buddhist teachings, became extremely antagonistic towards the shrine temples and their monks. In 1864 and 1867, Buddhist structures in the Lower Shrine were set on fire by unknown perpetrators; in the latter case, it was rumored to have been caused by the shrine's priests.[109]
The establishment ofState Shinto after theMeiji Restoration in 1868brought an end to the union between Shinto and Buddhism. The shrines of Suwa, due to their prominent status asichinomiya of Shinano, were chosen as one of the primary targets for the edict of separation, which took effect swiftly and thoroughly. The shrine monks were laicized and Buddhist symbols either removed from the complex or destroyed; the shrines' Buddhist rites, such as the yearly offering of a copy of theLotus Sutra to the Upper Shrine's deity, were discontinued. The now laicized monks at first tried to continue serving at the shrines as Shinto priests; however, due to continued discrimination from the shrine priesthood, they gave up and left.[110] The priests themselves were soon ousted from their offices as the state abolished hereditary succession among Shinto priests and private ownership of shrines across the country; theŌhōri - now stripped of his divine status - as well as the other local priestly houses were replaced by government-appointed priests.[111]
In 1871, the Upper and Lower Shrines - now under government control - were merged into a single institution, Suwa Shrine (諏訪神社Suwa-jinja), and received the rank ofkokuhei-chūsha (国幣中社), before being promoted toKanpei Chūsha (官幣中社) in 1896 and finally, to the highest rank ofkanpei-taisha (官幣大社) in 1916. AfterWorld War II, the shrine was listed as a special-class shrine (別表神社beppyō-jinja) by theAssociation of Shinto Shrines and renamed Suwa Grand Shrine (Suwa-taisha) in 1948.
| Suwa Taisha Kamisha Honmiya (諏訪大社 上社本宮) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shinto |
| Deity | Takeminakata |
| Location | |
| Location | Suwa City,Nagano |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°59′53″N138°07′10″E / 35.99806°N 138.11944°E /35.99806; 138.11944 |
| Glossary of Shinto | |
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The Upper Shrine's 'main shrine' (本宮honmiya), located in the northern foothills ofMount Moriya - currently often identified as the Upper Shrine'sgo-shintai[112] - boasts the largest number of historical buildings and structures of the four shrines, a number of which have been designated asImportant Cultural Properties. Similar to the two shrines of the Lower Shrine, theHonmiya possesses two thatched-roof wooden edifices calledhōden (宝殿 'treasure hall') in place of ahonden, the building where the deity is enshrined in many Shinto shrines. Unlike them, however, theHonmiya'shōden are located to the side of thehei-haiden rather than directly behind it.
Unlike today, there were originally far fewer buildings in theHonmiya's precincts. Medieval records indicate that the shrine's most sacred area where theheihaiden now stands originally only contained a rock (磐座iwakura) serving as thedwelling place of the shrine's deity, which was demarcated by atorii gate and a fence (格子kakusu).[113][114] These texts describe theHonmiya's terrain as being made up of three levels or 'platforms' (壇dan): the sanctum containing theiwakura (corresponding to theheihaiden and its vicinity) was the 'upper platform' (上壇jōdan), with the spot where the twohōden stand being the 'middle platform' (中壇chūdan). The 'lower platform' (下壇gedan) where the Kagura Hall now stands was where religious rites were originally conducted.[115]
In antiquity, the water level of Lake Suwa was five to six meters higher than it currently is; the lake thus originally came up near theHonmiya before it shrunk into its present size.[116] Indeed, the woodentorii gate at the shrine's northwest end is known as theNamiyoke (波除 'Wave-Repelling')Torii.[117] The shrine is now located approximately 5.2 kilometers (3.23 miles) away from the lake's shores.[118]
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Some authors have put forward an explanation for the differing orientations of thehōden and thehei-haiden by suggesting that thehōden were built to face Mount Moriya, located southwest of the shrine, and a stone called 'Suzuri-ishi' (硯石), which is often identified with theiwakura mentioned in medieval texts. They suggest that with the construction of thehei-haiden, the shrine's focus of worship changed from the Suzuri-ishi and the mountain beyond it to the stone pagoda (theTettō) formerly located in the forested inner sanctum behind thehei-haiden and the Buddhist temple to Samantabhadra (Fugen-dō) to the shrine's southeast.[119][115][120] However, while Mount Moriya is locally revered as a sacred mountain, associated with either the god Moriya who figures in one of the Upper Shrine's foundation myths or the infamous 6th century courtierMononobe no Moriya (worshiped as a deity both at the mountain's peak and at a shrine on the mountain's opposite side), historical records connecting it to the Upper Shrine are scanty. While a document purportedly dating from 1553 (but which may be a pseudepigraphical work of later provenance) states that the Upper Shrine "worships a mountain as itsshintai" (以山為神体而拝之矣), it does not specifically identify this mountain to be Mount Moriya; indeed no source identifies Mount Moriya as the Upper Shrine's focus of worship before theMeiji period, when this identification first appeared and began to circulate. As noted above, the shrine's young high priest, theŌhori, due to being considered asthe god of Suwa incarnate, was more commonly identified as the shrine's object of worship during the medieval period.[121]
An alternative theory posits that the Upper Shrine's closest analogue to a holy mountain is actually theYatsugatake mountain range to the shrine's southeast. This theory interprets thehei-haiden as being oriented towards the Upper Shrine's hunting grounds located at the Yatsugatake's foothills in what is now the town ofFujimi.[122]
As for theiwakura, there seems to be evidence based on old maps and illustrations of theHonmiya compound that the Suzuri-ishi was originally situated elsewhere before it was moved to its current location,[123] making its identification with the sacred rock found in ancient records doubtful. An alternative theory proposes that theiwakura spoken of in these texts actually refers to a rock deep within the inner sanctum, over which theTettō was erected.[124]
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| Suwa Taisha Kamisha Maemiya (諏訪大社 上社前宮) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Torii at the entrance to theMaemiya complex | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shinto |
| Deity | Yasakatome |
| Location | |
| Location | Chino City,Nagano |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°59′28.1″N138°08′00.2″E / 35.991139°N 138.133389°E /35.991139; 138.133389 |
| Glossary of Shinto | |
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TheMaemiya (前宮 'former shrine'), as its name implies, is believed to be the oldest site in the Upper Shrine complex and the center of its religious rites.[132] Originally one of the chiefauxiliary shrines of the Upper Shrine complex (see below), theMaemiya was elevated to its current status as one of its two main shrines in 1896 (Meiji 29).[133]
While Yasakatome, Suwa Myōjin's consort, is currently identified as this shrine's deity (with popular legend claiming that theburial mounds of Takeminakata and Yasakatome are to be found in this shrine), some historians believe - based on medieval records - that the local fertility and agriculture god(s) known asMishaguji, who occupy a prominent role in certain religious rituals of the Upper Shrine, was originally worshiped in this shrine.[134]
During the Middle Ages, the area around theMaemiya was known as theGōbara (神原), the 'Field of the Deity', as it was both the residence of the Upper Shrine'sŌhōri and the site of many important rituals.[135] TheŌhōri's original residence in theGōbara, theGōdono (神殿), also functioned as the political center of the region, with a small town (monzen-machi) developing around it.[136] TheGōdono was eventually abandoned after the area was deemed to have becomeritually polluted in the aftermath of the intraclan conflict among theSuwa clan[137] which resulted in the death ofŌhōri Suwa Yorimitsu (諏訪頼満) in 1483. In 1601, theŌhōri's place of residence was moved from theMaemiya to Miyatado (宮田渡) in modernSuwa City.[136]
With theŌhōri having moved elsewhere, theGōbara fell into decline during theEdo period as locals began to build houses in the precincts and convert much of it intorice fields; even the shrine priests who still lived nearby used the land for rice farming to support themselves.[138]
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The Upper Shrine is traditionally reckoned to have thirty-nineauxiliary shrines dedicated to local deities, divided into three groups of thirteen shrines (十三所jūsansho) each.
These thirteen shrines were visited by theŌhōri as part of his investiture ceremony.
Before theMeiji period, various local clans (many of which traced themselves to the gods of the region) served as priests of the shrine, as in other places. After hereditary priesthood was abolished, government-appointed priests took the place of these sacerdotal families.
These are the high priestly offices of theKamisha and the clans which occupied said positions.[157][158][159]
The following meanwhile were the high priestly offices of theShimosha.[167][158][159]
In addition to these were lesser priests, shrine monks (shasō),shrine maidens, other officials and shrine staff.
Suwa-taisha is the head shrine of the Suwa network of shrines, composed of more than 10 thousand individual shrines.[3]
Suwa Taisha is the focus of the famousOnbashira festival, held every six years. TheOfune Matsuri, or boat festival, is held on August 1, and the Senza Matsuri festival is held on February 1 to ritually move the spirits between the Harumiya and Akimiya shrines.[173]
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
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