Yamanokami Regional 30 Wakayama

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. Yama no Kami 山の神 Yamanokami - Introduction .
. Ta no Kami 田の神 Tanokami - Introduction .
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Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain
and Legends from 和歌山県 Wakayama

. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.



Hongucho Mikoshi, Tanabe, Wakayama
Ichidaira, Kudoyama, Ito District, Wakayama
Kamiyukawa, Aridagawa, Arida District, Wakayama
Oga, Shingu, Wakayama

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The seventh day of December is the last festival day of Yamanokami of each year.
Yamanokami comes down from the stars (above the fields) to his mountain. Trees with two twisted stems are his signpost and thus sacred to Yamanokami.
People make offerings of stonefish, which has a very ugly face.

. Yamanokami and okoze 虎魚 / 鰧魚 / オコゼ / ヲコゼ stonefish .
On the 29th day of the 9th lunar month, Yamanokami takes off for the meeting of the Japanese deities in 出雲 Izumo.

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Wakayama and 奈良県 Nara
Yamanokami is seen as a woman, sometimes jealous of a human wife.
If someone has lost something, he goes to the forest and shows dankon 男根 a penis, then Yamanokami will help to find the lost object.



.......................................................................　Arida district 有田郡 　.....
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清水村 Kiyomizu mura village

. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
There was 桜の木の森 a forest of cherry trees called Yamanokami. When they cut down the trees, a serpent came out.
When they sold the wood and burned it, people got ill. A baby pulled out its tongue all the time and wiggled it.
Most of the time there was the sound of a serpent crawling on the ground.
Finally the villagers built a small shrine and venerated the serpent.

桜の木の森 Sakuranomori Park
Nagatani, Aridagawa, Arida District, Wakayama



Hyogo - 1202-1 Kusadani, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo
Mie - 3500-5 Minamitamagakicho, Suzuka, Mie


.......................................................................　Hidaka district 日高郡 　.....
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みなべ町 Minabe town

Once a man had cut a tree there came a serpent with a yamadori 山鳥 copper pheasant in its mouth. He took it away and ate it. But soon he became a strong headache. It did not heal and he asked a diviner for help. The serpent had been the messenger of Yamanokami from 水舟山 Mount Mizubune and the man had taken away its food.
So they built a small sanctuary on the mountain and venerated Yamanokami there, bringing offerings of mochi 餅 rice cakes.

. kiji 雉 pheasant / 山鳥 yamadori - Legends .
- - - - -
. ookami 狼 Okami, wolf legends .
Once upon a time, a wolf had angered Yamanokami and could not eat anything any more.
In his hunger he attacked the shika 鹿 deer sacred to 春日 the Kasuga deity.

. Kasuga Jinja 春日神社 Shrine in Kyoto .
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. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .
The deity of 大峯山 Mount Ominesan is a Tengu. He follows the orders of Yamanokami.


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龍神村 Ryujin mura village

. ujigami　氏神 clan KAMI deities, family deity .

Once a pilgrim was late in the evening and had to nojuku 野宿 camp outside.
At night he heard the voices of Yamanokami and Ujigami.
When Ujigami asked Yamanokami to come out, Yamanokami said he had a visitor and could not come.
When Yamanokami asked Ujigami about his age he said he was 18.
The pilgrim thought this was strange, but continued his pilgrimage. In the village he heard the story:
The son of the village carpenter was attacked by an abu あぶ gadfly and when he tried to ward if off, he swallowed it and died.
- - - - -
Once a villager begun to cut down all the trees of the mountain forest, big ones and small ones.
At night he heard the sound of a strong storm and Yamanokami came close to his mountain hut. He shook his white hair and opened the door, trying to kill the villager. Just then Ujigami appeared and begged him not to kill.
This had happened on the seventh day of the 11th lunar month, the sacred day when Yamanokami comes out to count the trees.


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. Mizunokami, mizu no kami 水の神 deity of water - Legends .
Yamanokami and Mizunokami in a contest :
. Counting trees and fish 木の数と魚の数 .

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A man named 毛谷村六助 Keyamura Rokusuke wanted to become strong and prayed to
彦山権現 Hikosan Gongen for help.
On his way down the mountain he met a messenger of Yamanokami who gave him books about 兵法 the art of warfare. He studied them and soon became a strong man.

. Hikosan　英彦山 / 彦山　The Hikosan Deity .



- quote -
Keyamura Rokusuke is one of the leading characters in the ningyō jōruri and kabuki play Hiko-san Gongen chikai no sukedachi (彦山権現誓劔) and in some other plays. The farmer turned samurai is known for his filial piety and incredible strength, and is viewed as an ideal samurai.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- reference source : nichibun yokai database -

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. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.

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. Yama no Kami 山の神 - Table of Contents - .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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sangaku shinkoo　山岳信仰 religion of the High Mountains is a different matter.

. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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Yamanokami Inugami Wolf Deity

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. Yama no Kami 山の神 Yamanokami - Introduction .
. Ta no Kami 田の神 Tanokami - Introduction .
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Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain
and his messenger, the Yamainu 山犬 Wolf / ookami 狼 Okami wolf



I use the term Yamainu to refer to the wolf as the divine messenger of Yamanokami.
. shinshi 神使 the divine messenger .

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- - - - - Yamanokami has some animal messengers :

. habu ハブ / 波布 Okinawa pit viper .

. Sarugami 猿神 The Monkey Deity .

. yamainu 山犬 wolf - "mountain dog" .

. inoshishi 猪 wild boar .

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Inugami 犬神 "Dog Deity"
Japanese folklore describes Inugami as zoomorphic or anthropomorphic, dog-like beings, often similar to werewolves. They are masters of black magic and similar to the Shikigami.
Like the possession of a fox, kitsunetsuki, it is a spiritual possession by the spirit of a dog, widely known in Western Japan.

. Inugami and Kobo Daishi 弘法大師 .
- 猪除け fighting inoshishi 猪 wild boars

. Inugami from Oita 大分県 .

. Inugami and Legends with tofu 豆腐伝説 .

. Inugami and Legends with Umeboshi dried plums .


. NUE, nue 鵺, 鵼, 恠鳥, or 奴延鳥 the Nue monster .
- - - - - The cursed Nue came floating in the sea to Shikoku.
Its head landed in Sanuki and became a monkey deity.
Its tail landed in Iyo and became a serpent deity.
Its hands and feet landed in Tosa and became a dog deity 犬神 Inugami .


. yama-inu, yamainu　山犬、豺 "mountain dog" - wolf .
Legends about the wolf, not related to Yamanokami.

. Wolf Worship in Japan .
Mitsumine Jinja 三峰神社 and other shrines

tsurumen 犬神人 / ツルメソ / inujinin （いぬじにん、いぬじんにん、つるめそう）
When Gozu Tenno first came down from Heaven on this earth, he had two dogs with him. They gave birth and the baby soon turned into a human, Tsurumen.
. Gozu Tenno Legends 牛頭天王伝説 .

. tsurumeso 弦召（つるめそ/ 弦売僧 / 弦女曽） .
This name refers to a group of lowly, untouchables in the old society (inu jinin 犬神人).


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .


.......................................................................　Aichi 愛知県 .....

Yamainu 山犬
In the mountains live Yamanokami (Yamainu) and 天狗 Tengu. Deep mountains and high mountains are their special places and duly venerated.





.......................................................................　Ehime 愛媛県 .....

yama no mamono 山の魔物 monster of the mountain
When building a new home, farmers tried to avoid the foot of a mountain protruding in a plain. This was the living space of the wolf, messenger of Yamanokami and of other mountain monsters.
If someone built a house there, his family would be cursed.

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今治市 Imabari

Inugami 犬神 / イヌガミ
In olden times people have been feeling tsukimono 憑き物 possessed by many things, like a muenbotoke 無縁仏 grave of an unknown person, hebigami 蛇神 Serpent Deity, Inugami 犬神 Dog Deity, 稲荷 Inari the Fox Deity
or even 山の神 Yamanokami.
Possessed by the Serpent Deity they could not speak any more.
Possessed by the Dog Deity they begun to bark like a dog.
Possessed by Inari they begun to eat abura-age 油揚げ fried Tofu.
Once a woman from the village married to a man in a different village, but because her family had a history of possessions, she took that with her and now this kind of possession happened in her new home and village too.

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南宇和郡 Minami-Uwa district

Yamainu 山犬 - yosuzume 夜雀 sparrows at night
Once an old woman was coming home from 岩松 Iwamatsu late at night, when Yamainu was surrounded by chirping sparrows. The Yamainu jumped around and made some sound too.

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四国中央市 Shikoku Chuo

Yamainu 山犬
家を建てるときは尾先きを忌地として嫌う。ここは山の神の使いである山犬や山の魔物が尾根づたいに歩いて来る場所で、この地に家を建てると必ず祟りがある。






.......................................................................　Fukushima 福島県 .....

Yamainu 山犬
At the entrance to 奥の院 the mountain temple people offer eggs, mochi 餅 rice cakes, vegetables or fish.
If they find some of these eaten half-way by a Yamainu, they take the rest and eat it themselves as
o-te tsuita 御手付いだ "he has partaken of it".
At the mountain temple are also votive tablets of Yamainu. They will keep away conscriptions to the army and protect from bullets.


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石城郡 Iwaki district 田人村 Tabito

Yamainu 山犬
In 1883 someone got an amulet from Mitsumine Shrine and put it up. Since then the damage by wolves has subsided.



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相馬郡 Soma district 飯館村 Iitate

Yamainu 山犬
As a messenger of Yamanokami he can hide in small amounts of grass (三寸の草がくれ).
(This expression is also used for brown bears.)

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田村郡 Tamura district 小野町 Ono

Yamainu 山犬
If people walked in the forest in olden times, wolves would come after them, so they hang a hinawa 火縄 glimmering rope from the belt.
There were also many farmers being possessed by Yamainu. But the Yamainu would not bite a human, unless the human was lying on the ground, having fallen down.
If the Yamainu was jumping over a human, he would pee and the urin come into the eyes, making the human almost blind.
So while walking in the mountains, you better look down and do not stumble.





.......................................................................　Gunma 群馬県 .....

碓氷郡 Usui district 松井田町 Matsuida

Yamainu 山犬
The monkey (saru) is also a messenger of Yamanokami, so the word SARU サル was not to be used while working in the mountains.




.......................................................................　Kagawa 香川県 .....

Yamainu 山犬
In the mountains is a road where evil spirits pass (Mashoosuji 魔性筋 Masho, Evil Spirit Road").
Even if farmers are in a hurry and have to take this road, they will hear strange noises. If they pray to Yamanokami for help. a wolf will come along and show them the road.

Yamainu 山犬
Once a man was on his way back home from cutting tobacco leaves, but was very tired. From the place with the sanctuary of Yamanokami a Yamainu was following him until he was back home safe.
If people get lost in the mountains, a Yamainu often comes to lead them to safety.

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仲多度郡 Nakatado district 琴南町 Kotonami

Yamainu san 山犬さん
If people spent the night in a mountain hut but have to go home fast for some reason, they must be careful not to meet monsters on the road.
If they are in peril, they call out
"Yama no Kami san tasukete kudasare" 「山の神さん助けてくだされ」Please, Yamanokami, come and help me!
then two wolves come along and lead him the way home.





.......................................................................　Nagano 長野県 .....

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東筑摩郡 Higashi-Chikuma district 四賀村 Shiga

Yamainu 山犬 - 天狗 Tengu
Tengu as an incarnation of Yamanokami is quite wild, but Tengu is not an ancestor deity.

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北安曇野郡 Kita-Azumino district 小谷村 Otari

Yamainu 山犬 - 天狗 Tengu
The Tengu of this village is a monster with one eye and one leg.
Also called Chinba チンバ (the lame one) in Matsumotodaira 松本平, the Matsumoto plain.

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下伊那郡 Shimoina district, Shimo-Ina 天龍村 Tenryu

Yamainu 山犬
Once a hunter wanted to have a young Yamainu and prayed to Yamanokami. He granted his wish and gave him two puppies.　Once he went hunting but could not find anything, so he made a fire to rest.
He said to the wolves: "I will have a bite and go to sleep here. Since I could not find anything today, you will have to go without food, I am very sorry."
The wolves put their tails in water and extinguished the fire many times. He thought that was strange and climbed on a tree to have a look. He saw the wolves biting into his straw coat on the ground and finally realized they wanted to kill him. So he shot them. Then he prayed for their souls.

O-Inu sama お犬様
At the 太子堂 Taishi-Do temple hall the object of veneration is the skull of a Yamainu. The 村松家 Muramatsu family takes care of the sanctuary. Their ancestor had once shot a wolve and then realizet it was a Yamainu, so he prayed for his soul and handed the custom down in his family.

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Yamainu 山犬 - 六ツ地蔵 / ムツジゾウ Mutsu Jizo - Six Jizo
On the border between Nagano and Aichi there is a memorial mound called Mutsu Jizo (the normal reading is roku Jizo).
This mound is not very old. Once during a strong rain six human skeletons were washed down and then buried and venerated here. The seventh man of this group had survived to tell the story. He had been rescued by a Yamainu showing him the way to the village 三河の富山村漆島 Tomiyama in Aichi.
The Yamainu is venerated in this region as the messenger of Yamanokami.




.......................................................................　Okayama 岡山県 .....

. 貴布禰神社 Kifune Jinja and 狼様 Okami wolf rituals .
津山市桑上190 / Tsuyama, Kuwakami 190




.......................................................................　Shizuoka 静岡県 .....

Yamainu 山犬
Once a couple was preparing the mountain fields, burning down the bushes. When they took a break, ate their rice and made some tea, they forgot to make an offering of some ears of rice to Yamanokami. That night Yamainu were howling all night around their home. After that, they never forgot to make the offerings.





.......................................................................　Tokushima 徳島県 .....

Inugami tsukai 犬神使い divine messenger of Inugami
In the old province of 阿波國 Awa no Kuni, the Inugami was more popular than kitsune tsukai 狐使い the fox messenger.
It dates back to the old ideas of shikigami 式神, who would do harm to people.

. Shikigami 式神 / Shiki no Kami 式の神 Shiki deity,
demon or ghost, god-like demon spirits .

- - - - -

. Inugami and suikazura スイカズラ / 吸葛 / 忍冬 honeysuckle .

In 徳島県三好郡祖谷山 the Iya valley of Tokushima there is a kind of Inugami monster called Suikazura.
It is said to be a bit larger than a rat and lives in the warmth of the hearth in homes.


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- reference source : nichibun yokai database -

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source : ..ryo-jin.at.webry.info..

２匹の山犬を両脇に従えた山の神。Scroll of Yamanokami with 2 Yamainu at his side.
On the right is the deity 大山祗神（おおやまつみ） Oyamatsumi,
on the left his daughter 木花咲耶姫命（このはなさくやひめ) Konohanasakuya Hime.


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. jūni sama 十二様 Juni Sama, "Honorable 12" mountain deities, .

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. Yama no Kami 山の神 - Table of Contents - .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

sangaku shinkoo　山岳信仰 religion of the High Mountains is a different matter.

. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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. Waka Jinja 和歌神社 Shrines for Waka Poets .

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. Wakamiya Hachimangu 若宮八幡宮 Shrines .
Kyoto, Mie

. Wakasa Kamo Jinja 若狭 加茂神社 and 若狭神宮寺 Jingu-Ji .
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. Watatsumi Jinja 海神社満珠 . Kobe, Hyogo


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. Waka poetry and Buddhism 　和歌と仏教 .

. wara ningyoo 藁人形 straw dolls for curses . .

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. Watatsumi / Wadatsumi 綿津見三神 / 海神 Three Deities of the Sea .


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Wakamiya shrines

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wakamiya 若宮 Wakamiya shrines

quote
Wakamiya
A general term referring to a minor shrine serving the kami of a separate main shrine (hongū), or to its related kami. Shintō myōmoku ruijūshō; defines wakamiya as a shrine dedicated to the offspring (mikogami) of the kami worshiped at a main shrine, or to the newly apportioned branch of a shrine (see kanjō). In practice, however, the usage goes beyond this definition, in some cases being applied to shrines dedicated to the same deity as that of the main shrine, to deities other than mikogami, or to temporary shrines of the main deity (see otabisho).

At first, many of the kami worshiped at wakamiya were kami of possession which revealed themselves through oracles delivered to priests (shinkan) and female shrine mediums (miko), but they gradually evolved from this earlier stage to the status of deities regularly worshiped at fixed shrines. It is from the way in which such kami were enshrined within the confines of permanent religious structures that some wakamiya are explained within the context of cults dedicated to goryō (vengeful spirits of the deceased).

The first appearance of wakamiya in historical records is a mention of the shrine "Keta Wakamiya" in the province of Hida, within an entry of Nihon sandai jitsuroku for the 4th day of the 8th month for the year 873.

Keta Wakamiya is believed to have been a shrine apportioned from the main Keta Honsha (presently Keta Jinja) in Noto Province. This incident indicates that wakamiya in the sense defined by the Shintō myōmoku ruijūshō were already in existence by the ninth century.

Most examples of wakamiya are associated with major kami like Kamo, Kasuga, and Hachiman, but they possess a diverse range of features. Records from 881 mention a Kamo Wakamiya in Hida Province, another shrine apportioned at an early date. The first example of a Kasuga Wakamiya is seen in 1135, when one was dedicated by Fujiwara Tadamichi, but in fact, this shrine was a mikogami ("offspring kami") apportioned by acolytes of Kōfukuji as a means of enhancing their influence on the rites at the shrine Kasuga Taisha; as a result, the wakamiya's rites were observed independently of the main shrine's, giving it a strongly autonomous quality.

In the case of Hachiman, a large number of apportioned branch shrines are known by the name wakamiya. For example, the Sameushi Hachimangū enshrined at Minamoto Yoshiie's birthplace was also known as Wakamiya Hachimangū; its origins go back to an occasion when the portable shrine from Iwashimizu Hachimangū was carried into Kyōto. Likewise, the Azuma kagami refers to the shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura as a wakamiya, and the earlier established Yui-gō Hachimangū as a shimo wakamiya (lower wakamiya), demonstrating that many apportioned Hachimangū shrines in time came to be known as wakamiya.
source : Matsubara Seiji, Kokugakuin 2005




source :　usiusi.mo-blog.jp
Keta Wakamiya Jinja 気多若宮神社 - Hida. Gifu
This shrine is also called Sugimoto Jinja 杉本神社 "Cedar Shrine", because of its location within an old cedar grove.



. Keta Jinja 気多神社 .
Keta taisha(気多大社 - "Keta Big shrine" is the head shrine of Noto district, in Hakui Town, Ishikawa prefecture.


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .


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気多若宮一人憩へば秋気充つ
Keta Wakamiya hitori ikonoeba akike mitsu

shrine Keta Wakamiya
I take a break and feel
the full autumn




段(きだ)のぼる気多若宮の秋の蝶
kida noboru Keta Wakamiya no aki no choo

up the stairway
of shrine Keta Wakamiya
a butterfly in autumn


Takazawa Ryooichi 高澤良一 Takazawa Ryoichi




source :　usiusi.mo-blog.jp


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Hitachi Oota Wakamiya Hachimangu 常陸太田若宮八幡宮 - Urayasu no Mai 浦安の舞 Urayasu Dance
source and more photos :　jyohokus.blog86


若宮楽舞ひて文化の日なりけり
Wakamiya ga maite bunka no hi narikeri

shrine Wakamiya
dancing a ritual dance
at the Culture Day

秋野寿々喜

. WKD : bunka no hi 文化の日 (ぶんかのひ) culture day .
kigo for late autumn
Third of November, a national holiday.
Many communities feature exhibitions and regional culture events.

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初つばめ若宮大路横切れり
hatsu tsubame Wakamiya Ooji yokogireri

first swallow
crossing over Wakamiya
Ooji street

和気永子

Wakamiya Ōji (若宮大路) is a 1.8 km street in Kamakura, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan, unusual because it is at the same time the city's main avenue and the approach (sandō (参道?)) of its largest Shinto shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū. Over the centuries Wakamiya Ōji has gone thorough an extreme change. A heavily trafficked road today, it used to be, to the contrary, off limits to most people as a sacred space.


Immediately after the Torii gate begins the dankazura (段葛), a raised pathway flanked by cherry trees which becomes gradually wider as it goes toward the sea.

At the time of the Kamakura shogunate it was an essential part of the city's religious life, and as such it hosted many ceremonies and was rich with symbolism. Since its construction Wakamiya Ōji has been the backbone of the city's street planning and the center of its cultural life.
The street has been declared a Historic Site and was chosen as one of the best 100 streets in Japan.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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source :　loosefrog.blog46
Wakamiya Sha　若宮社　－ at Suwa Taisha 諏訪大社
There are 13 "venerable pillars　柱" as children of the deity.


mikogami 御子神 "Honorable-child-kami", offspring kami

quote
"Honorable-child-kami,"
a term used in the context of cults of parent-child deities to refer to the offspring kami (also called byōeishin). For example, the fragmentary Tsukushi no kuni fudoki describes the three-peaked mountain of Kishimayama as follows: "the peak to the southwest is called the hikogami [male-kami], the middle peak is called the himegami [female-kami], and the one to the northeast is called the mikogami (offspring-kami)." In this kind of relation with a child kami, the implied parent may be either father or mother; the latter can also be understood within the framework of cults devoted to "mother-child deities" (boshijin)

Cases of the enshrinement of mikogami in the narrow sense include those at shrines Yasaka Jinja and Dazaifu Tenmangū. The Yasaka shrine is dedicated to Susanoo as its chief kami, with his consort Kushinadahime on the east, and eight offspring deities (yahashira no mikogami) on the west. The yahashira no mikogami include

Yashimajinumi no kami, Itakeru no kami, Ōyatsuhime no kami, Tsumatsuhime no kami, Ōtoshi no kami, Ukanomitama no kami, Ōyatsuhiko no kami, and Suseribime no mikoto.

Within the precincts (keidai) of the shrine Dazaifu Tenmangū, an associate shrine (sessha) is dedicated to Sugawara Takachika and Sugawara Kageyuki, offspring of the shrine's principal object of worship, Sugawara Michizane.

Another example of mikogami is found at Kasuga Taisha-the Fujiwara clan shrine (see ujigami) -where one of the deities worshiped is Amenokoyane no mikoto, claimed as ancestral deity (sojin) of the Nakatomi clan. In turn, an affiliated shrine, Wakanomiya Jinja enshrines Amenooshikumone no mikoto, the divine offspring of Amenokoyane.

Kasuga's Wakamiya shrine, however, was established in 1135, promoted as part of the move by acolytes of the temple Kōfukuji to control Kasuga; at the same time, its worship was also closely related to the belief in goryō (vengeful spirits of deceased persons of high rank), which came into vogue during the late Heian period. Further, not all wakamiya enshrine offspring of the central deity; some are dedicated to the central deity's parent or ancestral deity, and some act as temporary enshrinement sites (anzaisho, karimiya) for the central deity when it travels from its original shrine during festivals. For this reason, the mere presence of a mikogami does not necessarily indicate the shrine is a wakamiya.
source : Kobori Keiko、Kokugakuin 2005


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. Wakamiya Hachimangu, 若宮八幡宮 Mie .
and 若宮八幡宮 Wakamiya Hachimangu Kyoto


. Mikogami ミコ神 / 御子神 Legends about the Deity to protect children .


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source :　www.panoramio.com

Three shrines at Suwa - Wakamya shrine is in the middle.
皇大神宮社・若宮社・稲荷社

. Suwa Taisha 諏訪大社 . Nagano


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- #mikogami #wakamiya -
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Wakasa Kamo Jinja

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Wakasa Kamo Jinja 加茂神社
Wakasa Kamo Jinja 加茂神社 Kamisha 上社 Upper Shrine


O Ikemono Jinji (オイケモノ神事)

Jan 16th in lunar calendar, corresponds to Feb 25th in 2-013.



"Oikemono Jinji (オイケモノ神事)" will be held at
Kamo Jinja Kamisha (加茂神社上社; upper-left in the picture) in Wakasa, Fukui.

Oikemono Jinji is an annual and unique ritual to perform divination of this year's harvest, and it was continuously held since about 1000 years ago.
One year ago, seven kinds of tree seeds (e.g. acorn; upper-right in the picture) were put into a cedar box and has been placed below ground for a year at a special place in the precincts. On the day of ritual, the cedar box will be grubbed up, and new seeds in a box will be placed at the same location instead (lower-left in the picture).
The old box will be open up at the shrine's meeting hall by the shrine parishioners to look over the seedling (lower-right in the picture). If they find the buds and roots grow well, they make a declaration of promise for good crops in this year (even if not, they still make a "hopeful" declaration).

It is believed that the enshrined deity "Yama-no-kami (山の神)" is involved in the seeding. This is very interesting and primitive animism-style ritual which we must conserve generation to generation.

Interestingly, this ritual is not only religious but also scientific.
And more interestingly, this shrine doesn't have a building at all. As shown in the picture, there is only an Iwasaka (磐境, or Himorogi 神籬), which is a swath of sacred land surrounded by rocks. This is kind a primitive shrine.

- Shared by Taisaku Nogi - FB 2013-



小浜市加茂地区の人たちによって、1千年前から受け継がれてきたという神事を見学して、
“日本人の信仰の原形”を見る思いがしました。
source : kepco.co.jp/wakasa/tanpou


今年も「豊作」小浜で発芽占い神事　小浜・加茂で「オイケモノ」
（2013年2月25日）
... 午前１０時ごろ、前野年宏区長（４３）や氏子総代、宮川小児童ら約４０人が社務所に集合。今年埋納するクリやギンナンといった７種類の木の実と、「牛の舌」と呼ばれる餅を木箱に入れた。木箱や弓矢、供え物などをそれぞれが持ち、昨年木箱を根元に埋めたムクの神木がある「上宮（かみのみや）」に向かった。

上宮まで約２００メートルの道中では、大蛇に見立てたむしろに弓を放つ「弓打ち」神事などを行った。上宮では、神木の根元から昨年の木箱を掘り出し、来年に備えて新しい箱を同じ場所に埋めた。
一行は社務所に戻り、掘り出した箱を開封し、前野区長が木の実の芽立ち具合を確認。例年芽が出にくいとされる種類の実からも芽が出ていた。前野区長が「大雪や猛暑の厳しい環境だったが、芽は力強く出ている。御食国若狭小浜の加茂区は今年も豊作間違いなし」と判定すると、神事の進行を見守っていた地元の児童や区民から大きな拍手が沸き起こっていた。
source : www.fukuishimbun.co.jp



. Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountains .
Ta no Kami, God of the Rice Fields　田の神


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Sending off Water from the Temple Jinguuji 神宮寺 Jingu-Ji
Obama (in Wakasa) to the Nigatsudo, o mizu okuri　お水送り
at U-no-se (鵜の瀬)" River Unose

. O-Mizutori お水取り Drawing Holy Water .



O no Mai (oo no mai　王の舞) dance of the king
. Uwase Shrine (宇波西神社), Mikata, Wakasa .


. Jinguuji 神宮寺 Jingu-Ji .
Buddhist temples associated with Shinto shrines
(with a photo of the inner sanctuary 若狭神宮寺内陣.


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source :　iiduna.blog
富士山本宮浅間大社 Asama Taisha, Fujiyama


Iwasaka 磐境

A stone altar or cairn erected in ancient times for the purpose of invoking the presence of a kami at times of worship. According to an "alternative tradition" describing the episode of the "Descent of the Heavenly Grandchild" (tenson kōrin) in the Nihongi, Takamimusubi erected a "heavenly himorogi" (divine tree) and "heavenly iwasaka" for the purpose of paying ritual worship to the divine grandchild. This passage thus indicates that both himorogi and iwasaka were built together.

Debates have continued since the Edo period regarding whether actual stones were used in such structures and it was thought that none of the actual sites would ever be discovered. To a limited extent, however, evidence from sites of rock cairns like the Taki-matsuri no kami within the Grand Shrine of Ise; the temporary shrines of the festival confraternities (kō) in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture; and other archaeological discoveries suggest that relatively small rocks were collected within delimited areas to be used as a "divine seat" or altar for worship.

Further, most such sites seem to have been decorated with a himorogi or a branch of the sakaki tree. Such iwasaka were either square or round, and represented by a raised cairn of stones in a flat area, although in some cases they appear to have involved a somewhat larger stone placed in the center of the cairn.
Some theories suggest that the word is synonymous with iwakura.
source : Sugiyama Shigetsugu, Kokugakuin 2005



. iwakura 岩座 ／磐座 sacred rocks .


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Himorogi , Hiborogi, Himoroki 神籬

Originating in ancient times, himorogi refers to a temporarily erected sacred space or "altar" used as a locus of worship. Today, himorogi are represented by the demarcation of a physical area with branches of green bamboo or sakaki at the four corners, between which are strung sacred border ropes (shimenawa). In the center of the area a large branch of sakaki festooned with sacred emblems (hei) is erected as a yorishiro, a physical representation of the presence of the kami and toward which rites of worship are performed. In more elaborate cases, a himorogi may be constructed by placing a rough straw mat upon the ground, then erecting a ceremonial 8-legged stand (hakkyaku an) upon the mat and decorating the stand with a framework upon which are placed sacred border ropes and sacred border emblems. Finally the sakaki branch is erected in the center of this stand as the focus of worship.




Since the Edo period, various attempts have been made to understand the derivation of the word himorogi. Early appearances of the word include the expression "heavenly himorogi" (ama tsu himorogi) in the account of the "descent of the heavenly grandchild" (tenson kōrin) as found in "alternate writing" outlined in Book II of the Nihongi. The word also appears later in the Nihongi in the account of the reign of Emperor Sujin, where it states that a shikataki himorogi (probable meaning: "an altar of firm stones") was erected in the village of Yamato no Kasanui and used for the worship of Amaterasu ōmikami.

A passage from the reign of Emperor Suinin relates that of the "divine treasures of Izushi" (Izushi no kandakara) brought by the Korean prince Amenohihoko, one was called a kuma-himorogi (meaning obscure). The Man'yōshū likewise includes phrases such as "though I dedicate an altar on the divine mountain" (kamunabi ni himorogi tatete iwaedomo), making it clear that these expressions refer to temporary altars constructed for worship.

During the Aoi Festival at the Kyoto shrine Kamo Wakeikazuchi Jinja, the "sacred seat" (miare dokoro) is represented by a square space surrounded by green branches, in the center of which is placed an evergreen tree, and this structure can likewise be considered one form of the practice in which a kami descends to a space surrounded by such sacred borders. Other practices related to this custom might include the sacred fences (mizugaki and shibagaki) found surrounding shrines, and the fence of branches surrounding a new emperor's enthronement palace (Daijōkyū).
source : Sugiyama Shigetsugu, Kokugakuin 2005


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Iwasaka Shinmei Jinja 磐境神明神社
shrine in Tokushima
徳島県美馬市穴吹町口山

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