Chichibu Shrine
| Chichibu Shrine 秩父神社 | |
|---|---|
 The haiden (prayer hall) | |
| Website | |
| http://www.chichibu-jinja.or.jp/ |
The Chichibu Shrine (秩父神社, Chichibu Jinja) is an ancient Shinto shrine in the city of Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is devoted to Yagokoro-omoikane-no-mikoto, Chichibuhiko-no-mikoto, and Ame-no-minaka-nushi-no-kami, and also enshrines Prince Chichibu.
According to text in the Sendai Kuji Hongi (Kujiki), Chichibuhiko-no-mikoto, the tenth-generation descendant of the Kuni no miyatsuko of Chichibu Province, established the shrine in the tenth year of Emperor Sujin to worship Yagokoro-omoikane-no-mikoto.
During the Kamakura period, the shrine merged with a neighboring temple, and was known as Myōken-gū until the separation of Shinto and Buddhism (Shinbutsu bunri).
In the Meiji period it took the name Chichbu Shrine, with the characters 知知夫神社 appearing on the tablet of the torii. In the modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines, Chichibu was listed among the 3rd class of nationally significant shrines or Kokuhei Shōsha (国幣小社).[1]
The shrine hosts a number of events. The rice-planting festival takes place annually on April 4. The mid-summer Kawase Festival is celebrated on July 19 and 20. The Banba-machi Suwa Shrine festival is not annual, but occasional. It resembles the Onbashira festival of the Suwa Taisha.
Chichibu's annual night festival draws the biggest crowds. Celebrated in December, it spans the first six days of the month. The parading of floats is listed as part of the national cultural heritage.[2][3]
The national government has also recognized the shrine's sacred dance (kagura) as an important cultural asset.[4] Similar honors have been awarded to its festival music, the floats, buildings and other possessions.
The shrine's grounds include a number of subsidiary shrines. A Tenjin Shrine, Tōshō-gū, and a Suwa Shrine are among them.
References
- ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1963). The vicissitudes of Shinto, p. 288.
- ^ 国指定文化財 データベース:検索結果一覧 Retrieved August 23, 2008
- ^ 国指定文化財 データベース
- 主情報詳細 秩父祭屋台 Retrieved August 23, 2008
- ^ 国指定文化財 データベース:主情報詳細 秩父神社神楽 Retrieved on August 23, 2008
Source
This article incorporates material translated from 秩父神社 (Chichibu Jinja) in the Japanese Wikipedia,
translated on August 23, 2008.
External links
- 秩父神社 (Chichibu Jinja), official web site
