Kochi Daijingu & Yosakoi Inari Shrine

 

Kochi Daijingu is located just outside the main gate of Kochi Castle, and within the grounds is Yosakoi Inari Shrine.

Kochi Daijingu, with its unique golden torii, is a branch of Ise Shrine, but I can not find much info on it beyond that it was established in 1873. The Inari shrine is far more popular and has more info.

There were a lot of chickens wandering around the grounds, something I have seen before at shrines, but not so very often....

The Inari Shrine was renamed Yosakoi Inari quite recently in honor of Kochi being the origin of the Yosakoi dance.

The shrine originally was in the property of the Yamauchi Clan, and was moved to Kochi when the clan sold their property in early Meiji. I believe it was originally in Kyoto as a few of the enshrined kami are specifically local Kyoto kami.

As a branch of Ise, the Daijingu enshrines Amaterasu. The chicken has been considered the messenger of Amaterasu in the same way that the fox is considered the messenger of Inari.

Consequently, there are no komainu at the shrine, just a pair of recently added chicken statues and the usual foxes.

The previous post from day 16 of my walk along the Shikoku Ohenro pilgrimage was Kochi Castle.

Shrine Chickens & other details at Aoi Aso Shrine

 

Chickens can be found at a few of the bigger shrines, and Aoi Aso is one of them. I have read several theories on the meaning and symbolism of chickens at shrines, but none of them are convincing to me. They sound like things made up in the Meiji and post Meiji periods when Japan was frantically manufacturing "ancient" traditions.

There was also a selection of komainu, something I always seek out hoping to find unique styles rather than the homogenized design that is becoming more commonplace.

In the main gate were more komainu, along with Zuijin. This kind of komainu, smaller and made of wood, were the original kind, with the larger stone ones a later development

Aoi Aso Shrine is quite picturesque and there is lots of decoration to be seen.

Shrine Chickens

It is not uncommon to see chickens running free in the grounds of shrines, like these first two photos in Aoiaso Shrine, Hitoyoshi.

Some say it is because the rooster heralds the arrival of the sun, the sun goddess Amaterasu.

Some say it is because in the Iwato myth the assembled kami brought in roosters to try and trick Amaterasu out of the cave.

This third photo is from a small shrine next to Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki.

These last two photos  are from Iminomiya Shrine in Chofu, Yamaguchi.

Personally, I think the reason you find chickens at shrines is because the priest and family like free eggs.