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

Kashima, Ibaraki is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 67,197 in 28,873 households and a population density of 634 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 31.5%. The total area of t ...

in the northern

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

of Japan. It is dedicated to , one of the patron deities of

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

. Various

dōjō A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese. History The word ''dōjō'' originates fro ...

of ''

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms o ...

'' and ''

kendō is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship exerc ...

'' often display a

hanging scroll A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit East Asian painting and calligraphy. They are different from handscrolls, which are narrower and designed to be viewed flat on a table. Hanging scrolls are generally i ...

emblazoned with the name "Takemikazuchi-no-Ōkami". Prior to World War II, the shrine was ranked as one of the three most important imperial shrines in the Shinto hierarchy, along with

Ise Grand Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

(伊勢神宮 ''Ise Jingū'') and Katori Shrine (香取神宮 ''Katori Jingū''). During the New Year period, from the first to the third of January, Kashima Shrine is visited by over 600,000 people from all over Japan. It is the second most visited shrine in

Ibaraki prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

for new year pilgrims.

Introduction

Kashima Shrine romon and stone lanterns - sept 22 2015

Kashima jingu mitarashi panorama - sept 22 2015

Kashima Shrine is located at the top of the Kashima plateau in south-east

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

, intersecting Lake Kitaura and Kashima Bay and in close proximity to Katori Shrine, which also has a strong connection to the martial arts. The shrine is the home of the school of

Japanese swordsmanship is an umbrella term for all (''ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of k ...

. , one of the most distinguished swordmasters in Japanese history, was a frequent visitor to the shrine and developed the school from a combination of his own experiences as a ''shugyōsha'' during and the . A large blade designated as a National Treasure known as the Futsu-no-Mitama Sword (布都御魂剣) is housed in the treasure house of Kashima Shrine. 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 ...

'' (main shrine building), ''Haiden'' (prayer hall) and ''

Rōmon The is one of two types of two-storied gates used in Japan (the other one being the '' nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and S ...

'' tower gate entrance are all

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

structures, and are National Important Cultural Properties. The gate is one of the largest three shrine entrances in Japan. A deer enclosure is also located down the forest path. Both Kashima Shrine's deer and those of Nara are considered messengers of the gods and hence share a strong connection.

Enshrined deity

The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States 21 Hitachi

is the official title of the main enshrined deity and identified as . In some historical texts he is also known as the great god of thunder. According to legend,

Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally referred to with a divine honorific as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the ...

, beheaded his own son Kagutsuchi the fire deity, as punishment for burning his mother to death. As he performed the act the blood dripped from his sword splashing onto the rocks below him, giving birth to several ''kami'', two of which were Takemikazuchi along with the deity of Katori Shrine. Per the ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'', Takemikazuchi was the deity who provided

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...

, which is one reason the shrine is regarded as a patron. However, there is no mention of the shrine in either the ''Nihon Shoki'' or the ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

'' and the earliest written records, the ''Hitachi Fudoki'', does not identify the Kashima-no-Ōkami with Takemikazuchi.

History

According the shrine legend, Kashima Jingū was established in the first year of the legendary

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...

Fudoki are ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition presented to the reigning monarchs of Japan, also known as local gazetteers. They contain agricultural, geographical, and historical records as well as mythology and ...

(風土記) of

Hitachi province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...

, indicating that a , or private house of ritual was rebuilt in 649 AD on a site where the great celestial god descended from the heavens and where religious ceremonies and festivals had been held since the time of Emperor Sujin, Yamato Takeru and

Emperor Tenji , known first as and later as until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku (Empress Saimei), and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, an ...

. This region was the ancestral stronghold of the Nakatomi clan, who were strongly allied to the imperial court, and the area around Kashima became a center for strengthening the imperial court's control of eastern Japan following the

Taika Reform The were a set of doctrines established by Emperor Kōtoku (孝徳天皇 ''Kōtoku tennō'') in the year 645. They were written shortly after the death of Prince Shōtoku and the defeat of the Soga clan (蘇我氏 ''Soga no uji''), uniting Jap ...

. As both a war deity and a water deity, the Kashima ''kami'' were connected with military campaigns against the

Emishi The were a group of people who lived in parts of northern Honshū in present-day Japan, especially in the Tōhoku region. The first mention of the Emishi in literature that can be corroborated with outside sources dates to the 5th century AD, ...

tribes of northern Japan. The treasury of the shrine has a one bucket said to have been a war trophy once owned by the Emishi leader Aterui. During the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

, the Nakatomi clan rose to prominence and changed their name to Fujiwara and played a central role in reorganizing the Shinto ritual system. By the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, Kashima Jingū was given the highest rank and the Shinto hierarchy, along with

and Katori Shrine. The ''

Engishiki 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 ''Engishi ...

'' records list the shrine as the ''

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 ...

'' of Hitachi Province. Although the Fujiwara clan lost much of its power into the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

, the shrine continued to enjoy high status and prestige with the warrior class and was strongly supported by successive ''

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

'' governments and local ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

''.

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

granted the shrine numerous estates, and many members of the ''samurai'' class entered the priesthood, sometimes advancing to very senior positions. The shrine buildings were extensively reconstructed during the early

, with

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

sponsoring the reconstruction of the main shrine in 1605 (currently the main building of the Oku-no-miya Shrine),

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was born to Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Lady Saigō on May ...

rebuilding the current main shrines in 1619 and with

Tokugawa Yorifusa , also known as Mito Yorifusa, was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Biography Known in his childhood as Tsuruchiyomaru (鶴千代丸), he was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun with his concubine, Ka ...

contributing the tower gate in 1634. In 1687, poet

Matsuo Bashō ; born , later known as was the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative '' haikai no renga'' form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as th ...

traveled to the Kashima Shrine, writing of the journey in his ''

haibun is a prosimetric literary form originating in Japan, combining prose and haiku. The range of ''haibun'' is broad and frequently includes autobiography, diary, essay, prose poem, short story and travel journal. History The term "''haibun''" was ...

'' travel journal, '' Kashima Kikō''. Following the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the shrine was designated a , or imperial shrine, 1st rank, under

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 ...

. The second ''torii'' gate was rebuilt in granite from Kasama in 1968 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Meiji restoration. The precincts of the shrine were designated a National Historic Site in 1986. The shrine suffered only moderate damage in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. The main ''torii'' gate was destroyed and 64 of the stone lanterns lining the shrine's pathways fell over. Although none of the main buildings were destroyed, the total cost of repairing the structures came to 170 million Yen. Following the earthquake, the first large scale

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

ever made on the site was conducted in the northwestern side of the precincts. Many artifacts dating back to the Nara period were uncovered.

Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival

This special festival held once every 12 years in the Year of the Horse is to honour the great deities Takemikazuchi of Kashima Shrine and Futsunushi of Katori Shrine. The festival is one of great pride for the people in the areas of Kashima and Katori and said to be one of the biggest in Japan. The next Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival will be in 2026. The festival began during the time of Emperor Ōjin although it was stopped once during the civil warring of the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

. In 1870, the tradition of the festival was revived and given imperial status. In 1887 it was decided that the festival would be held every 12 years in the Year of the Horse. Today the Grand Imperial Ofuna festival begins in the morning on the first of September and officials from the imperial court are sent to convey the blessings of the Emperor. In the early morning of the second day a ''

mikoshi A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...

'' (portable shrine) from Kashima Shrine is carried overland along the edge of Lake Kitaura, a smaller part of

Lake Kasumigaura is the second-largest lake in Japan, located 60 km to the north-east of Tokyo. In a narrower sense and officially, Lake Kasumigaura refers to a waterbody with an area of 167.63 km2. In a wider sense, Lake Kasumigaura can also refer ...

, to a large boat waiting in the harbor. The boat, adorned with a great Ryūtō (龍頭) dragon motif, then joins a larger fleet of other colourful boats (in 2002 there were around 90) and carries the ''mikoshi'' across the lake to the other side. From there a divine procession awaits to take the ''mikoshi'' to Katori Shrine where the main festival takes place. After the festival a special temporary logging known as an Angu (行宮) is constructed and the Mikoshi is taken there before being returned to its main shrine in the afternoon of the third day.

Festivals and annual events

January *New Years Day Service (1st, 06:00) *Festival of Origins (3rd, 10:00) *White Horse Festival (7th, 18:00) February *Setsubun Festival ( Setsubun Day, 18:00) *Kigen Era Festival (11th, 10:00) *Bountiful Crops Festival (17th, 10:00) March *Saitousai Main Festival of Colour (9th, 10:00) *Spring Festival (9th, 18:00) *Spring Equinox and Spirits of the Ancestors Festival (Spring Equinox Day, 10:00) April *Rear Shrine Spring Service (1st, 10:00) *Inner Shrine Spring Service (2nd) *Shrine Ruins Spring Service (3rd) *Sakado and Numao Shrine Spring Service (4th) *Outer Shrine Spring Service (5th) *Outer Shrine Divine Spring Service (6th) *Ikisu Shrine Annual Spring Service (14th) May *Bountiful Harvest and Horseback Archery Festival (1st, 13:00) June *Summer Solstice Purification Ceremony (29th, 18:00) *Ōharai Shinto Purification Ceremony (30th, 15:00) September * ''Grand Imperial Ofuna Festival'' (1st–3rd, in 2014) *Annual Shrine Festival (1st, 10:00) *Chinese Lantern Festival (1st, 18:00) *Fortune Festival (1st, 20:00) *Return of the Deities Festival (2nd, 15:00) *Xinggong Angu Imperial Logging Festival (2nd, 22:00) *Enshrinement of the Ancestors Festival (21st, 18:00) *Autumn Equinox Festival (22nd, 08:00) *Great Festival of Ancestral Spirits (22nd, 08:00) October *Offering of the Harvest Festival (17th, 10:00) November *Rear Shrine Autumn Service (1st, 10:00) *Inner Shrine Autumn Service (2nd) *Meiji Festival (3rd, 09:00) *Sumo Festival (3rd, 10:00) *Shrine Ruins Autumn Service (3rd) *Sakado and Numao Shrine Autumn Service (4th) *Outer Shrine Autumn Service (5th) *Outer Shrine Autumn Service (6th) *Ikisu Shrine Autumn Service (13th) *Shinjyosai Offering of the Harvest to the gods (23rd, 10:00) December *Shrine Offerings Ceremony (20th, 10:00) *Tencho Festival (23rd, 10:00) *Shinto Purification Ceremony (31st, 15:00) *New Year's Eve Service (31st, 15:00) Monthly service *Ceremony for the Ancestors (1st day of each month, 10:00)

External links

Kashima Jingū website

References

*Meik Skoss (1994)

Retrieved April 7, 2005. *George Mccall (2009)
"Tsukuhara Bokuden"
Retrieved February 15, 2012. Kanpei Taisha Jingū Kashima, Ibaraki Shinto shrines in Ibaraki Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan Hitachi Province Beppyo shrines Myōjin Taisha Chokusaisha Important Cultural Properties of Ibaraki Prefecture Nakatomi clan Nagare-zukuri {{Shinmei shrines