Chiba Shrine on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Chiba Shrine (千葉神社, ''Chiba-jinja'') is a Shinto Shinto shrine, shrine located in Chūō-ku, Chiba, Chūō-ku, Chiba (city), Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. Originally a Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple dedicated to the Deva (Buddhism), deity Myōken, the patron of the Chiba clan, it was converted into a Shinto shrine dedicated to Ame-no-Minakanushi (a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology conflated with Myōken) during the Meiji period.
Due to its historical status as one of the principal centers of Myōken worship in Chiba Prefecture associated with the Chiba clan, the shrine is also popularly known as Chiba Dai-Myōken (千葉大妙見, "Great Myōken [Shrine] of Chiba"), Myōken Hongū (妙見本宮, the ″Main Shrine (''Hongū'') of Myōken″), or simply as Myōken-:wikt:さま#Suffix, sama (妙見様).
In 1126 (Daiji (era), Daiji 1), Tadatsune's great-great-grandson Taira Tsuneshige, Taira no Tsuneshige transferred his clan's power base from :ja:大椎城, Ōjī Castle in Kazusa Province (modern Ōji-chō, Midori-ku, Chiba, Midori-ku, Chiba City) to a Inohana Castle, new castle located about a kilometer south of Kongōju-ji, situated in a natural plateau known as Mount Inohana (modern Inohana, Chūō-ku). During the transfer, the clan shrine to Myōken which enshrined the image supposedly brought by Yoshifumi from Sokusai-ji situated within the castle precincts was merged into the temple complex. Myōken Taisai (the "Great Festival of Myōken"), the temple's (and later, the shrine's) annual festival, was first held in 1127, the year after the clan - now calling itself 'Chiba' - moved to Inohana Castle, and has continued uninterrupted for nearly nine centuries since. As the Chiba's seat of power, the area surrounding the castle and the temple, Chiba Shōen, Manor (:ja:千葉荘, 千葉荘, ''Chiba-no-shō''), began to prosper during this period.
During the Genpei War (1180–1185), the Chiba clan, headed by Tsuneshige's son :ja:千葉常胤, Tsunetane, chose to side with Minamoto no Yoritomo against Taira no Kiyomori. Yoritomo himself is said to have visited the temple on his way to Kamakura in 1180. After Kiyomori's defeat, the clan was rewarded large domains throughout Japan. Myōken's cult spread to these areas as a result.
By the Muromachi period, a series of external and internal conflicts had severely weakened the Chiba. In 1455, :ja:馬加康胤, Makuwari (Chiba) Yasutane (son of 14th clan head :ja:千葉満胤, Mitsutane and brother of 15th head :ja:千葉兼胤, Kanetane) overthrew the clan's main branch, then led by his nephew :ja:千葉胤直, Tanenao, and assumed leadership, only to be defeated and killed under the orders of ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Inohana Castle was abandoned in the aftermath of this conflict, with the Chiba (now under Yasutane's son :ja:千葉輔胤, Suketane) moving this time to Moto Sakura Castle, another castle located in what is now the Sakura, Chiba, city of Sakura. The clan head's Genpuku, coming-of-age ceremony, however, was still held at Kongōju-ji, showing the continued esteem with which the temple was held.
In 1591 (Tenshō (Momoyama period), Tenshō 19), Kongōju-ji received donations of land from Tokugawa Ieyasu, who also conferred to it the special privilege of direct audience with the ''Tokugawa shogunate, shōgun'' (normally a prerogative of the ''shōgun''
*Main shrine building
:The two-story ''Haiden (Shinto), haiden'' - the first of its kind in Japan - was built in 1990, replacing the previous one dating from 1954. Both the ground floor, the ''Kongōden'' (金剛殿, "Hall of the Vajra"), and the upper floor, the ''Hokutoden'' (北斗殿, "Hall of the Big Dipper"), are open for public worship.
*Chiba Tenjin (千葉天神)
:An Setsumatsusha, auxiliary shrine dedicated to Tenjin (kami), Tenjin, the deification of Heian period scholar and statesman Sugawara no Michizane revered as the patron of learning and scholarship, originally established within the Kongōju-ji complex in 1182 (Juei 1). During the 1990 renovation, the 1954 ''haiden'' was relocated and reused as a shrine building for Tenjin.
*''Sonjōden'' (尊星殿, "Hall of the Venerable Star (King)")
:The shrine's main entrance, a two-story gate (''nijūmon'') doubling as a sub-shrine to Ame-no-Minakanushi (Myōken) in his role as the presiding deity of the sun, moon and stars. On the first floor is the ''Fukutokuden'' (福徳殿, "Hall of Merit"), an octagonal shrine representing the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) and the Earthly Branches, twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. The upper floor, the ''Kaiunden'' (開運殿, "Hall of Luck Improvement") is held to be especially imbued with the power of the deity and is only open a few times a year to devotees who request for formal prayer rituals (''kitō'') to be conducted there. Flanking the gate on either side are the ''Gettenrō'' (月天楼, "Tower of the Moon") and the ''Nittenrō'' (日天楼, "Tower of the Sun").
*''Chōzuya'' (手水舎)
:This pavilion, dating from the Meiji period, was the only structure that survived the bombing of Chiba in 1945. The stone basin (''chōzubachi'') inside it dates from 1755 (Hōreki 5). The ''chōzuya''
* Ishi Shrine (石神社, ''Ishi-jinja'')
:Dedicated to Iwanagahime, the elder sister of Konohanasakuya-hime, Konohana-Sakuyahime, the goddess of Mount Fuji. Originally known as 'Ishigami' (石神) or 'Ishigami Daimyōjin' (石神大明神).
* Inari Shrine (稲荷神社, ''Inari-jinja'')
:Dedicated to the Inari Ōkami, Inari deities Ukanomitama, Ukemochi (Ōgetsuhime), and :ja:ワクムスビ, Wakumusubi, established in 1179.
* Kotohira-gū, Kotohira Shrine (金刀比羅宮)
:Dedicated to the gods :ja:金山彦神, Kanayamahiko and Ōmononushi, established in 1840.
* Nishinomiya Shrine (西之宮)
:A branch shrine of Nishinomiya Shrine in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, established in 1782. Enshrines Kotoshironushi (Ebisu (mythology), Ebisu).
* Hachiman Shrine (八幡神社, ''Hachiman-jinja'')
:Established in 1181 by Chiba Tsunetane, who enshrined a ''Shinto shrine#Re-enshrinement, bunrei'' of Hachiman (the patron deity of the Minamoto clan) obtained from Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura within the temple compound.
* Hiyoshi Taisha, Hie Shrine (日枝神社, ''Hie-jinja'')
:Dedicated to Oyamakui no Kami, Oyamakui, established in 1182. Originally known as 'Sannō Gongen' (山王権現).
* Mitsumine Shrine (三峰神社, ''Mitsumine-jinja'')
:Dedicated to Izanami, established in 1822.
* Shinmei Shrine (神明社, ''Shinmei-sha'')
:A shrine to Amaterasu originally located in Yokomachi (part of modern Chūō-ku) and transferred to Chiba Shrine in 1882.
* Mount Ontake, Ontake Shrine (御嶽神社, ''Ontake-jinja'')
:This shrine, established in 1871 and dedicated to Kuni-no-Tokotachi, Ōyamatsumi, and Ninigi, is in the shape of a mountain topped with three statues representing its deities.
* Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社, ''Itsukushima-jinja'')
:Dedicated to the goddess :ja:イチキシマヒメ, Ichikishimahime (originally Benzaiten), established in 1182.
* Mizu-no-Miya (美寿之宮, lit. "Shrine of Beautiful Longevity")
:The most recent of the shrine's ''massha'', established in 2009. Dedicated to the water deity Suijin, Mizu-no-Mioya-no-Ōkami (水御祖大神, identified with the dragon deity Ryūjin). The name ''Mizu'' (美寿 lit. "beauty [and] longevity" or "beautiful longevity") is a pun on the Japanese word for water, ''mizu''.
In addition to the above, historical records also refer to shrines to :ja:清瀧権現, Seiryū Daigongen (清瀧大権現, the patron goddess of Daigo-ji in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto) and Marici (Buddhism), Marīcī (摩利支天 ''Marishiten''), as well as a sanctuary dedicated to seven important personages related to the Chiba clan known as 'Sōdai-Shichisha Daimyōjin' (惣代七社大明神) within the temple complex.
Official website of Chiba Shrine
(Japanese) 11th-century Shinto shrines 11th-century establishments in Japan Buildings and structures in Chiba (city) Rebuilt buildings and structures in Japan Shinto shrines in Chiba Prefecture Shinbutsu shūgō Shinbutsu bunri 1000 establishments in Asia
Deities
The shrine's main deity is the Kami, god Ame-no-Minakanushi under the name 'Hokushin Myōken Sonjō-Ō' (北辰妙見尊星王, lit. "Venerable Star King Myōken of the Polaris, North Star (''Hokushin'')"). The shrine's auxiliary deities are: *Futsunushi :Futsunushi (the warrior god of Katori Shrine, Katori Jingū in Katori, Chiba, Katori, Chiba) is jointly worshiped here as the site where Chiba Shrine stands was originally part of the precincts of a nearby Katori Shinto shrine#Famous shrines and shrine networks, branch shrine known as Innai Katori Shrine (院内香取神社, ''Innai Katori-jinja''). As the 'landlord' of the Chiba Shrine grounds, certain deferential customs are observed during the shrine's week-long Myōken Taisai festival out of respect for Futsunushi. *Yamato TakeruBackground
Chiba Shrine was originally a temple to the Buddhism, Buddhist Deva (Buddhism), divinity Myōken (Sanskrit: Sudṛṣṭi, lit. "Wondrous Vision"), the deification of the Big Dipper and/or the Polaris, northern pole star. The cult of Myōken is thought to have developed in China during the Tang period, when Taoism, Taoist Big Dipper and pole star worship was adopted into Buddhism. It was then introduced into Japan somewhere during the 7th century by immigrants (''toraijin'') from Goguryeo and Baekje. Myōken worship flourished in the eastern half of the country (the modern Kantō and Tōhoku region, Tōhoku regions) - where the ''toraijin'' were resettled during the reign of Emperor Tenji (reigned 661–672 CE) - and was quite prevalent among many clans based in this area such as the Chiba clan, Chiba and the Sōma clan, Sōma clans. Temples and shrines to Myōken were especially numerous in former Chiba territories. The relationship between Myōken and the Chiba clan is traditionally traced back to the clan's ancestor, :ja:平良文, Taira no Yoshifumi, the uncle of Taira no Masakado. Legend states that when Yoshifumi and his nephew was about to lose a battle against Yoshifumi's elder brother :ja:平国香, Kunika (father of Taira no Sadamori) at the Someya River (染谷川, ''Someyagawa'') in Kōzuke Province (modern Gunma Prefecture), they were rescued by Myōken, the deity of nearby Sokusai-ji (息災寺, modern :ja:妙見寺 (高崎市引間町), Myōken-ji in Takasaki, Gunma). After reaching safety, Yoshifumi went to this temple to express his gratitude and took one of the seven statues of Myōken enshrined there with him. This image was passed down to his descendants, who venerated Myōken as their patron deity. When the Government of Meiji Japan, Meiji government enforced the Shinbutsu bunri, separation of Shinto and Buddhism in the late 19th century, many shrines that venerated Buddhist figures or deities of Shinbutsu-shūgō, mixed heritage either changed or associated their deities to ones found in classical Japanese mythology as written in texts such as the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihon Shoki''. Many places of worship dedicated to Myōken thus began to identify their deity as Ame-no-Minakanushi, a Kotoamatsukami, primordial deity who (like Myōken) came to be identified with the pole star and the Big Dipper.History
According to tradition, the Buddhist temple Hokutosan Kongōju-ji (北斗山金剛授寺) was founded in the Japanese calendar#Months, thirteenth day of the ninth month of the year 1000 (Chōhō (era), Chōhō 2) by the monk Kakusan (覚算), a son of Taira no Tadatsune (the paternal grandson of Yoshifumi), who then became its first abbot (大僧正 ''daisōjō'' or 座主 ''zasu''). The temple was built at the command of Emperor Ichijō (reigned 986-1011) in thanksgiving for his recovery from an eye disease.
In 1126 (Daiji (era), Daiji 1), Tadatsune's great-great-grandson Taira Tsuneshige, Taira no Tsuneshige transferred his clan's power base from :ja:大椎城, Ōjī Castle in Kazusa Province (modern Ōji-chō, Midori-ku, Chiba, Midori-ku, Chiba City) to a Inohana Castle, new castle located about a kilometer south of Kongōju-ji, situated in a natural plateau known as Mount Inohana (modern Inohana, Chūō-ku). During the transfer, the clan shrine to Myōken which enshrined the image supposedly brought by Yoshifumi from Sokusai-ji situated within the castle precincts was merged into the temple complex. Myōken Taisai (the "Great Festival of Myōken"), the temple's (and later, the shrine's) annual festival, was first held in 1127, the year after the clan - now calling itself 'Chiba' - moved to Inohana Castle, and has continued uninterrupted for nearly nine centuries since. As the Chiba's seat of power, the area surrounding the castle and the temple, Chiba Shōen, Manor (:ja:千葉荘, 千葉荘, ''Chiba-no-shō''), began to prosper during this period.
During the Genpei War (1180–1185), the Chiba clan, headed by Tsuneshige's son :ja:千葉常胤, Tsunetane, chose to side with Minamoto no Yoritomo against Taira no Kiyomori. Yoritomo himself is said to have visited the temple on his way to Kamakura in 1180. After Kiyomori's defeat, the clan was rewarded large domains throughout Japan. Myōken's cult spread to these areas as a result.
By the Muromachi period, a series of external and internal conflicts had severely weakened the Chiba. In 1455, :ja:馬加康胤, Makuwari (Chiba) Yasutane (son of 14th clan head :ja:千葉満胤, Mitsutane and brother of 15th head :ja:千葉兼胤, Kanetane) overthrew the clan's main branch, then led by his nephew :ja:千葉胤直, Tanenao, and assumed leadership, only to be defeated and killed under the orders of ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Inohana Castle was abandoned in the aftermath of this conflict, with the Chiba (now under Yasutane's son :ja:千葉輔胤, Suketane) moving this time to Moto Sakura Castle, another castle located in what is now the Sakura, Chiba, city of Sakura. The clan head's Genpuku, coming-of-age ceremony, however, was still held at Kongōju-ji, showing the continued esteem with which the temple was held.
In 1591 (Tenshō (Momoyama period), Tenshō 19), Kongōju-ji received donations of land from Tokugawa Ieyasu, who also conferred to it the special privilege of direct audience with the ''Tokugawa shogunate, shōgun'' (normally a prerogative of the ''shōgun''Structures
*Main shrine building
:The two-story ''Haiden (Shinto), haiden'' - the first of its kind in Japan - was built in 1990, replacing the previous one dating from 1954. Both the ground floor, the ''Kongōden'' (金剛殿, "Hall of the Vajra"), and the upper floor, the ''Hokutoden'' (北斗殿, "Hall of the Big Dipper"), are open for public worship.
*Chiba Tenjin (千葉天神)
:An Setsumatsusha, auxiliary shrine dedicated to Tenjin (kami), Tenjin, the deification of Heian period scholar and statesman Sugawara no Michizane revered as the patron of learning and scholarship, originally established within the Kongōju-ji complex in 1182 (Juei 1). During the 1990 renovation, the 1954 ''haiden'' was relocated and reused as a shrine building for Tenjin.
*''Sonjōden'' (尊星殿, "Hall of the Venerable Star (King)")
:The shrine's main entrance, a two-story gate (''nijūmon'') doubling as a sub-shrine to Ame-no-Minakanushi (Myōken) in his role as the presiding deity of the sun, moon and stars. On the first floor is the ''Fukutokuden'' (福徳殿, "Hall of Merit"), an octagonal shrine representing the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) and the Earthly Branches, twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. The upper floor, the ''Kaiunden'' (開運殿, "Hall of Luck Improvement") is held to be especially imbued with the power of the deity and is only open a few times a year to devotees who request for formal prayer rituals (''kitō'') to be conducted there. Flanking the gate on either side are the ''Gettenrō'' (月天楼, "Tower of the Moon") and the ''Nittenrō'' (日天楼, "Tower of the Sun").
*''Chōzuya'' (手水舎)
:This pavilion, dating from the Meiji period, was the only structure that survived the bombing of Chiba in 1945. The stone basin (''chōzubachi'') inside it dates from 1755 (Hōreki 5). The ''chōzuya''Auxiliary shrines
Chiba Shrine's auxiliary shrines (''massha'') are as follows: *Innai Katori Shrine (院内香取神社, ''Innai Katori-jinja'') :An auxiliary shrine to the warrior god Futsunushi located southeast of the Chiba Shrine compound, established in 885 (Ninna 1). The surrounding area, which includes the spot where Chiba Shrine stands, is traditionally considered to be the territory of this shrine. During the Myōken Taisai festival, Chiba Shrine's sacred palanquin (''mikoshi'') is brought to this auxiliary shrine before and after it is paraded across town, with the brass Fenghuang, phoenix that adorns the ''mikoshis roof being attached or removed here - an act of deferential respect to Futsunushi. *Chiba
* Ishi Shrine (石神社, ''Ishi-jinja'')
:Dedicated to Iwanagahime, the elder sister of Konohanasakuya-hime, Konohana-Sakuyahime, the goddess of Mount Fuji. Originally known as 'Ishigami' (石神) or 'Ishigami Daimyōjin' (石神大明神).
* Inari Shrine (稲荷神社, ''Inari-jinja'')
:Dedicated to the Inari Ōkami, Inari deities Ukanomitama, Ukemochi (Ōgetsuhime), and :ja:ワクムスビ, Wakumusubi, established in 1179.
* Kotohira-gū, Kotohira Shrine (金刀比羅宮)
:Dedicated to the gods :ja:金山彦神, Kanayamahiko and Ōmononushi, established in 1840.
* Nishinomiya Shrine (西之宮)
:A branch shrine of Nishinomiya Shrine in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, established in 1782. Enshrines Kotoshironushi (Ebisu (mythology), Ebisu).
* Hachiman Shrine (八幡神社, ''Hachiman-jinja'')
:Established in 1181 by Chiba Tsunetane, who enshrined a ''Shinto shrine#Re-enshrinement, bunrei'' of Hachiman (the patron deity of the Minamoto clan) obtained from Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura within the temple compound.
* Hiyoshi Taisha, Hie Shrine (日枝神社, ''Hie-jinja'')
:Dedicated to Oyamakui no Kami, Oyamakui, established in 1182. Originally known as 'Sannō Gongen' (山王権現).
* Mitsumine Shrine (三峰神社, ''Mitsumine-jinja'')
:Dedicated to Izanami, established in 1822.
* Shinmei Shrine (神明社, ''Shinmei-sha'')
:A shrine to Amaterasu originally located in Yokomachi (part of modern Chūō-ku) and transferred to Chiba Shrine in 1882.
* Mount Ontake, Ontake Shrine (御嶽神社, ''Ontake-jinja'')
:This shrine, established in 1871 and dedicated to Kuni-no-Tokotachi, Ōyamatsumi, and Ninigi, is in the shape of a mountain topped with three statues representing its deities.
* Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社, ''Itsukushima-jinja'')
:Dedicated to the goddess :ja:イチキシマヒメ, Ichikishimahime (originally Benzaiten), established in 1182.
* Mizu-no-Miya (美寿之宮, lit. "Shrine of Beautiful Longevity")
:The most recent of the shrine's ''massha'', established in 2009. Dedicated to the water deity Suijin, Mizu-no-Mioya-no-Ōkami (水御祖大神, identified with the dragon deity Ryūjin). The name ''Mizu'' (美寿 lit. "beauty [and] longevity" or "beautiful longevity") is a pun on the Japanese word for water, ''mizu''.
In addition to the above, historical records also refer to shrines to :ja:清瀧権現, Seiryū Daigongen (清瀧大権現, the patron goddess of Daigo-ji in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto) and Marici (Buddhism), Marīcī (摩利支天 ''Marishiten''), as well as a sanctuary dedicated to seven important personages related to the Chiba clan known as 'Sōdai-Shichisha Daimyōjin' (惣代七社大明神) within the temple complex.
Festivals
*Myōken Taisai (妙見大祭 "Great Festival of Myōken", 16-22 August) :The shrine's annual main festival ('':wikt:例祭, reisai'') held without interruption since 1127. During the festival, the shrine's ''mikoshi'', called the ''Hōren'' (鳳輦, "phoenix palanquin"), is carried through the neighboring streets and deposited in a temporary shrine (御仮屋 ''okariya'' or ''mikariya'') near the former site of Inohana Castle, where it will stay for a week before being brought back to the shrine. Also known as 'Hitokoto Myōken Taisai' (一言妙見大祭), after a belief that any 'single word' (''hitokoto'', i.e. succinct) wish will be granted during the festival season. Both the shrine and the festival have been designated as cultural assets by Chiba Prefecture.Notes
References
{{reflist, 2See also
*Astrotheology *Chiba clan *Shimōsa Province *Taira clan *Towatari ShrineExternal links
Official website of Chiba Shrine
(Japanese) 11th-century Shinto shrines 11th-century establishments in Japan Buildings and structures in Chiba (city) Rebuilt buildings and structures in Japan Shinto shrines in Chiba Prefecture Shinbutsu shūgō Shinbutsu bunri 1000 establishments in Asia