Twenty-Two Shrines
| Part of a series on |
| Shinto |
|---|
 |
The Twenty-Two Shrines (二十二社, Nijūni-sha) of Japan is one ranking system for Shinto shrines. The system was established during the Heian period. The shrines listed below receive special offerings from the Imperial Court. Most were selected from shrines that were in the immediate vicinity of Kyoto, the capital of Japan at the time.[1]
Establishment
Under the Ritsuryō law system, the shrines that the Imperial Court would present offerings to for rites such as the kinensai (祈年祭), a service to pray for a good harvest, were mostly decided by the Engishiki Jinmyōchō (延喜式神名帳, Engishiki Shrine Name Book), but once the Ritsuryō system began to deteriorate, the offerings were only given to a select few shrines.
In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian kami of Japan. These heihaku were presented to 16 shrines: 1. Ise; 2. Iwashimizu; 3. Kamo; 4. Matsunoo; 5. Hirano; 6. Inari; 7. Kasuga; 8. Oharano; 9. Miwa; 10: Isonokami; 11. Ōyamato; 12. Hirose; 13. Tatsuta; 14. Sumiyoshi; 15. Nibu and 16. Kibune.[2]
In 991, Emperor Ichijō added three more shrines to Murakami's list—17. Yoshida; 18. Hirota; and 19. Kitano; and two more were added three years later in 994;—20. Umenomiya; and 21. Gion.[3]
In 1039, Emperor Go-Suzaku ordered that one more shrine be added to this list, 22. Hie, and this unique number of Imperial-designated shrines has not been altered since that time.[3]
Near the end of the Heian period, there was a movement to add Itsukushima Shrine to the list, but it did not happen. However, until the end of the Muromachi period, the Imperial Court made offerings to it, and in the Edo period, offerings were again made after disasters occurred.
List of shrines
 |
When the Nijūni-sha are considered as a grouped set, they are conventionally presented in order of rank, not in terms of the chronological sequence in which they were designated.[4] The three rank ranked groupings originally derived from a complex array of Heian geopolitical relationships.[5]
Upper Seven Shrines
| Shrine Name | Current Name | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jingū (神宮) | Jingū (also Ise Jingū 伊勢神宮) |
Ise, Mie | |
| Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (石清水八幡宮) | Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū | Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture | |
| Kamigamo Jinja (賀茂神社) |
Kamo-wakeikazuchi Jinja (賀茂別雷神社) |
Kamo-wakeikazuchi Jinja a/k/a Kamigamo Jinja (上賀茂神社) |
Kita-ku, Kyoto |
| Kamo-mioya Jinja (賀茂御祖神社) |
Kamo-mioya Jinja a/k/a Shimogamo Jinja (下鴨神社) |
Sakyō-ku, Kyoto | |
| Matsunoo Jinja (松尾神社) | Matsunoo Taisha | Ukyō-ku, Kyoto | |
| Hirano Jinja (平野神社) | Hirano Jinja | Kita-ku, Kyoto | |
| Inari Jinja (稲荷神社) | Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) | Fushimi-ku, Kyoto | |
| Kasuga Jinja (春日神社) | Kasuga-taisha | Nara City, Nara Prefecture | |
Middle Seven Shrines
| Shrine Name | Current Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Ōharano Jinja (大原野神社) | Ōharano Jinja | Nishikyō-ku, Kyoto |
| Ōmiwa Jinja (大神神社) | Ōmiwa Jinja | Sakurai, Nara |
| Isonokami Jinja (石上神社) | Isonokami Jingū | Tenri, Nara |
| Ōyamato Jinja (大和神社) | Ōyamato Jinja | Tenri, Nara |
| Hirose Jinja (廣瀬神社) | Hirose Taisha | Kawai, Nara |
| Tatsuta Jinja (龍田神社) | Tatsuta Taisha | Sangō, Nara |
| Sumiyoshi Jinja (住吉神社) | Sumiyoshi Taisha | Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka |
Lower Eight Shrines
| Shrine Name | Current Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Hie Jinja (日吉神社) | Hiyoshi Taisha | Otsu, Shiga |
| Umenomiya Jinja (梅宮神社) | Umenomiya Taisha | Ukyō-ku, Kyoto |
| Yoshida Jinja (吉田神社) | Yoshida Jinja | Sakyō-ku, Kyoto |
| Hirota Jinja (廣田神社) | Hirota Jinja | Nishinomiya, Hyōgo |
| Gion-sha (祇園社) | Yasaka Jinja (八坂神社) | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto |
| Kitano Jinja (北野神社) | Kitano Tenman-gū (北野天満宮) | Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto |
| Niukawakami Jinja (丹生川上神社) | *Niukawakami Jinja Shimosha (lower shrine) Niukawakami Jinja Nakasha (middle shrine) *Niukawakami Jinja Kamisha (upper shrine) |
Shimoichi, Nara Higashiyoshino, Nara Kawakami, Nara |
| Kibune Jinja (貴船神社) | Kibune Jinja (also Kifune Jinja) | Sakyō-ku, Kyoto |
- Note: At the time when the Nijunisha were chosen, the current Niukawakami Nakasha was the only Niukawakami Shrine. It became the middle shrine (nakasha) only after the shrine in Shimoichi and Kawakami were united with it.
See also
Notes
- ^ Grapard, Allan. "Institution, Ritual, and Ideology: The Twenty-Two Shrine-Temple Multiplexes of Heian Japan," History of Religions, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Feb., 1988), pp. 246-269.
- ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1962). Studies in Shinto and Shrines, pp. 116-117.
- ^ a b Ponsonby-Fane, Shrines, p. 118.
- ^ Kazuko, Namiki. "List of Nijūni-sha," Encyclopedia of Shinto; 二十二社一覧表（順位順） (English).
- ^ Breen, John et al. (2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami, p. 75.
References
- Breen, John and Mark Teeuwen. (2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2363-4
- Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962). Studies in Shinto and Shrines. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 399449