| Tsushima Shrine 津島神社 | |
|---|---|
 Thehaiden of Tsushima Shrine | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shinto |
| Deity | Susanoo/Gozu Tennō |
| Type | Tsushima Shrine |
| Location | |
| Location | Tsushima, Aichi |
  Shown within Aichi Prefecture Show map of Aichi Prefecture Tsushima Shrine (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Coordinates | 35°10′42″N136°43′07″E / 35.17833°N 136.71861°E /35.17833; 136.71861 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | owari-zukuri |
| Established | 540 AD |
| Website | |
| tsushimajinja | |
 Glossary of Shinto | |
Tsushima Shrine (津島神社,Tsushima Jinja) is aShinto shrine inTsushima,Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is the head shrine of a nationwideshrine network of shrines dedicated to the Tsushima Cult (津島信仰,Tsushima Shinkō). Centered primarily in theTōkai region, this network has approximately 3,000 shrines and is the tenth largest network in the country. The mainkami of this faith areGozu Tennō (牛頭天王,lit. ox-headed heaven king), the god of pestilences, andSusanoo, two deities that have been conflated together.[1] For this reason, like other shrines of the network, it is also called Tsushima Gozutennō-sha (津島牛頭天王社,lit. Tsushima Gozutennō Shrine).[2] (SeeGion cult for more information.)
Shrine legend, unsupported by any historical documentation, claims that the shrine was founded inTsushima by the semi-legendaryEmperor Kōrei (343-215 BCE) to worship Gozutennō'saramitama (its violent side), which remained atIzumo-taisha, and it'snigemitama (calm aspect) which came to Japan from theKorean peninsula after stopping inTsushima Island, between Korea and Japan. The shrine relocated to its current location inOwari Province in 540 CE. This may explain the relationship between the two Tsushimas suggested by the common name.[2] The shrine appears in historical records from the time ofEmperor Saga (786-846 CE), during whose rank it was awarded the status of First Court Rank, indicating that it was of considerable importance and antiquity by that time. It was awarded the title ofTennō-sha byEmperor Ichijō (980-1011 CE); however, for unknown reasons, it is not mentioned at all in theEngishiki records completed in 927 CE, nor in the official records of the province. In theSengoku period, theOda clan built Shobata Castle in the vicinity of the shrine, and thefamily crest of the Oda clan is the same emblem as that used by the Tsushima Shrine, indicating a close connection. The shrine was subsequently repaired byToyotomi Hideyoshi, and it received official status and patronage by theOwari Tokugawa clan ofOwari Domain under theTokugawa shogunate in theEdo period.
With the establishment ofState Shinto in theMeiji period, Tsushima Shine was initially ranked as a prefectural shrine inModern system of ranked Shinto shrines, and its status was increased to that of akokuhei-shōsha (国幣小社), or National Shrine, 3rd rank, in 1926.
In 1920, theHonden of the shrine, which was built in 1605 under the patronage ofMatsudaira Tadayoshi, was designated anImportant Cultural Property. The building is built in theowari-zukuri style, of which few examples remain.[3] TheRōmon gate, built in 1591, was also designated an Important Cultural Property in 1954.[4]
The shrine holds a festival called Tsushima Matsuri (津島祭り) during the sixth month of thelunar calendar (July in theGregorian calendar. During the festival, boats calleddanjiri (車楽) are floated on the Tennō River, and reeds are released into the water.[2]
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