Hayatani Shrine 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 ...

located in Hatsukaichi, a suburb of

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

. It is 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 ...

and Ninomiya of

Aki Province or Geishū () was a province in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture. History When Emperor Shōmu ordered two official temples for each province (one for male Buddhist prie ...

and is currently designated as a

Beppyo Shrine A ''Beppyō'' shrine () is a category of Shinto shrine, as defined by the Association of Shinto Shrines. They are considered to be remarkable in some way, and thus given a higher status than other shrines. It is considered the successor to the mo ...

Overview

Hayatani Shrine is a sacred place in

that has been worshipped for over 1,700 years. It was listed as a

before the Engishiki was written, In 811 it and

Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as , which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specifie ...

were both given the rank by the Emperor. It used to have a higher status than

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" ''torii''.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"''Itsukushima-jinja''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 407. It is in the cit ...

, but due to the support of the

Taira clan The was one of the four most important Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period of History of Japan, Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto clan, Minamoto, the Fujiwara clan, Fuji ...

it was eclipsed. People from all over Japan visit Hayatani Shrine to pray for

traffic safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and passenger ...

, especially when buying a new car. The shrine is also known for purifying the buses and trains of the

Hiroshima Electric Railway is a Japanese transportation company established on June 18, 1910, that operates streetcars and buses in and around Hiroshima Prefecture. It is known as for short. The company's rolling stock includes an eclectic range of trams manufact ...

. This shrine is one of the "Three Great Shrines of

", along with

and Take Shrine. For a long time, travelers on the Sanyo Expressway have prayed for safety on their journeys at this shrine, and it is still considered a protector of traffic safety on the modern day expressway. It and Itsukushima shrine used to simultaneously provide offerings in a single ceremony.

Gallery

File:Hayatani_Shrine_20121124-01.JPG, alt=拝殿（別の角度より）, Worship hall (from another angle) File:Hayatani_Shrine_20121124-05.JPG, alt=境内, precincts File:Hayatani_Shrine_20121124-08.JPG, alt=儀式殿, ceremonial hall File:Hayatani_Shrine_20121124-04.JPG, alt=神門, shrine gate File:Hayatani_Shrine_20121124-03.JPG, alt=楼門, Romon File:Hayatani_Shrine_20121124-06.JPG, alt=鳥居, torii

References

External links

* {{coord, 34.35936, 132.30837, format=dms, type:landmark_region:JP, display=title Beppyo shrines Kokuhei Chūsha Myōjin Taisha Shinto shrines in Hiroshima Prefecture