Chōkaisan Ōmonoimi Shrine (), also known as Chokaisan Ōmonoimi-jinja, is a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

on Mount Chokai in

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

, Japan. The shrine has three parts on different parts of the mountain: Fukura-kuchinomiya and Warabioka-kuchinomiya at the foot of the mountain and easier to access for visitors, and the main shrine known as Sanchō-Gohonsha on the mountain's summit. The Shrine is a national historic site. The shrine is primarily dedicated to Omonoimi no Kami, the unique

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

of the shrine, but also worships

Toyoukebime Toyouke-hime is the goddess of agriculture, industry, food, clothing, and houses in the Shinto religion. Originally enshrined in the Tanba region of Japan, she was called to reside at Gekū, Ise Shrine, about 1,500 years ago at the age of Empe ...

and

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto , or simply or , is the moon kami in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. The name "Tsukuyomi" is a compound of the Old Japanese words and . The ''Nihon Shoki'' mentions this name spelled as , but this ''yumi'' is likely a variation ...

. Omonoimi no Kami is considered possibly identical to who is also worshipped at the Warabioka subshrine. Omonoimi no Kami is primarily associated with industrial growth and is also enshrined in other places in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

, including . The shrine directly worships the mountain as a Kannabi. This is a rare practice and the only major shrines that continue the practice of direct

Mountain Worship is a faith that regards mountains as sacred objects of worship. Overview Mountain worship, as a form of nature worship, is thought to have evolved from the reverence that ethnic groups closely associated with mountains have for mountainous t ...

via Kannabi are

Ōmiwa Shrine , also known as , is a Shinto shrine located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is notable because it contains no sacred images or objects, since it is believed to serve Mount Miwa, the mountain on which it stands. For the same ...

and

Suwa-taisha , historically also known as Suwa Shrine (諏訪神社 ''Suwa-jinja'') or , is a group of Shinto shrines in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The shrine complex is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Shinano Province and is considered to be one of the oldest sh ...

and Kanasana Shrine. The shrine is the

Dewa Province was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History Early per ...

Ichinomiya is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...

, or the first ranked shrine of the

. It is close to the

Three Mountains of Dewa The refer to the three sacred mountains of Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono, which are clustered together in the ancient province of Dewa (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture). Holy to the Japanese Shinto religion and especially the moun ...

which are also prominent spots of

. It is similar to Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha at

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

History

The mountain has been worshipped since ancient times, and its god Omonoimi no Kami has been identified with the mountain itself. Traditions vary about the founding of the main shrine with some saying during it was founded during the reign of

Emperor Keikō , also known as and , was the 12th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Keikō's all ...

and others saying it was founded during the reign of

Emperor Kinmei was the 29th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261–2 ...

. The repeated destruction of the main shrine means archaeological evidence is difficult to find. However the two shrines at the foot of the mountain are known to have been founded in 564 in the reign of

. Early mentions of the shrine include the

Engishiki Jinmyocho The is a Japanese book of laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178. History Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ''Engishik ...

where it is listed as a

Myojin Taisha The is a Japanese book of laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178. History Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ''Engishik ...

, a very highly ranked shrine and mentions in the

Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku , abbreviated as Sandai Jitsuroku, is an officially commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 901, it is the sixth and final text in the Six National Histories series. It covers the years 858–887. Background Following the earlier nati ...

whjere an oracle foretold the Imperial Army's defeat in 878 and 879. In history every time the volcano erupted, the

rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

of Omonoimi no Kami was increased. This meant more lands were given to the shrine and it became wealthier and more powerful. Eruptions were interpreted as his anger. Once it was said that a corpse was improperly disposed of near the mountain. At that point a massive eruption happened and dark muddy water flowed down the rivers which were dammed by dead fish. Omonoimi no Kami is known to have received the rank of Shōichii in the reign of

Emperor Yōmei was the 31st Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 用明天皇 (31)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Yōmei's reign spanned the years from 585 until his death in 587. Traditional narrative He was ca ...

. The shrine has been a prominent place of shugendo since the Middle Ages. A medieval buddhist myth of the temple says it was founded by the Buddhist monk

En no Gyōja was a Japanese ascetic and mystic, traditionally held to be the founder of Shugendō, the path of ascetic training practiced by the ''gyōja'' or ''yamabushi''. He was banished by the Imperial Court to Izu Ōshima on June 26, 699, but folk t ...

for "Chokai Daigongen". This myth is most associated with Warabioka. Other myths involve other Buddhist monks like

Ennin , better known in Japan by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi (), was a priest of the Tendai school of Buddhism in Japan, and its third . Ennin was instrumental in expanding the Tendai Order's influence, and bringing back crucial training and ...

Kūkai , born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the Vajrayana, esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) und ...

. The shrine was subject to a legal battle after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

because people were confused about who owned the summit with the end of

State Shinto was Empire of Japan, Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for Kannushi, priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that ...

, as of 1966 the battle was still ongoing. In 2008, the area from the summit to Kuchinomiya became a National Historic Site.

Festivals

The shrine has a festival every year on July 14 called Hi-awase shinji (火合せ神事). During the festival all across

fires are lit simultaneously at this shrine and other Omonoimi shrines including one in

Sakata, Yamagata is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 96,777 in 42,600 households, and a population density of 180 people per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Sakata is located ...

for good harvest and good fishing.

Sanchō-Gohonsha

Sanchō-Gohonsha is the main shrine and it is located on the peak of Mount Chokai. It looks like an ordinary cabin on the outside. The shrine is rebuilt once every 20 years, it was rebuilt in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Gallery

File:鳥海山大物忌引神社2010.08.13.JPG, Very distant photo demonstrating the scale of the mountain File:Chokaisan Omonoimi Jinja Sancho Honden.jpg, Birds eye view of the shrine complex File:Sanchou-Gohonsha Gate.JPG, Torii File:大物忌神社と御室.jpg, Torii from behind File:Precincts of Sanchou-Gohonsha.JPG, Approaching the Honden File:Sanchou-Gohonsha Shinden.JPG, Mountain-top Main Shrine Honden

Fukura-kuchinomiya

Fukura-kuchinomiya is a subshrine located at the foot of the mountain. It is located 15 km west of the main shrine and 10 km northwest of Warabioka-kuchinomiya Local tradition says the shrine was founded by

The

Honden In Shinto shrine architecture, the , also called , or sometimes as in Ise Shrine's case, is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined ''kami'', usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a sta ...

is located on a hill and faces south.

is enshrined here. A lake called Maruikesama is worshipped nearby as a Kannabi. The lake is considered to be a Kami itself rather than merely one living in it.

Gallery

File:Hukura-kuchinomiya Gate.JPG, Entrance Torii File:Hukura haiden.JPG, Haiden File:Hukura Ryoushogu.JPG, Honden File:Hukura Honden.JPG, Honden from different angle

Warabioka-kuchinomiya

Warabioka-kuchinomiya is a subshrine located at the foot of the mountain. It is located 10 km southeast of Fukura-kuchinomiya, and 14 km southwest of Sancho-Gohonsha. The shrine worships agricultural deities Toyoke-Ookami and Ukanomitama no Mikoto. It is said in local tradition that the legendary Buddhist monk

founded the shrine. The shrine has four small

Hokora is a miniature Shinto shrine either found on the precincts of a larger shrine and dedicated to folk ''kami'', or on a street side, enshrining ''kami'' not under the jurisdiction of any large shrine.Encyclopedia of ShintoHokora Accessed on Dece ...

or subshrines of its own. There is a festival celebrated here on May 3 called Daimonbei Matsuri. There are three

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

gates and the movie Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends was filmed there.

Gallery

File:蕨口之宮一の鳥居.jpg, alt=Located at the base of the sanctuary., First Torii File:Warabioka-kuchinomiya Gate.JPG, Second Torii File:Warabioka-kuchinomiya 2nd Gate.JPG, Third Torii File:Warabioka Honden.JPG, Honden

Notelist

References

{{reflist Shinto shrines Shinto shrines in Yamagata Prefecture Shugendō Mountain faith Myōjin Taisha Kokuhei Chūsha 500s establishments Beppyo shrines En no Gyōja

History

Festivals

Sanchō-Gohonsha

Gallery

Fukura-kuchinomiya

Gallery

Warabioka-kuchinomiya

Gallery

See also

Notelist

References