Hayashi Kumano Shrine. The First Kumano Shrine?

 

This was a completely unexpected site I visited while heading down towards the next pilgrimage temple, Rendaiji. From the first torii up to the main shrine buildings was quite a distance and around the shrine was a lot of open space.

I now believe this area was until around 1868 filled with many Buddhist structures, the three-storey pagoda remaining.

The arrangement of the shrine was also unusual, with a long line of 13 hondens in 4 structures.

Originally called Kumano Junisha Gongen, and renamed Kumano Shrine in 1868, the junisha refers to the 12 kami enshrined in the line of hondens, the 12 kumano kami plus a local protective kami.

According to the founding legend, in 699 the famed mystic and legendary founder of Shugendo was exiled to Izu. A group of 5 of his disciples carried the spirit of what is now Hongu Taisha shrine in Kumano and eventually, in 701, decided upon this spot to found a new shrine. This is why the shrine now claims to be the very first "Kumano" shrine.

The five disciples also founded 5 temples in the area and this became a major shugendo centre with two other sites in the area for a Shin Kumano.

The shrine temple complex went through cycles of destruction like most major religious centres and the oldest remaining structure is the one called Second Hall. It was rebuilt in 1492 and is a National Important Cultural Property.

The remaining structures date back to a rebuild by the Okayama  Daimyo Ikeda Mitsumasa in 1647.

The  kami are listed as Izanami, Izanagi, Amaterasu, Ninigi, Amenoshihomimi, Hikohohodemi, Ugayafukiaeizu, Haniyamahime, Kagutsuchi, Wakamusubi, and Mizuhanome.

Among the secondary shrines in the grounds are Susanoo and Ichikishima.

In 1868 the shrine was separated from all the temple structures and renamed Kumano Shrine.

In 1872 Shugendo was outlawed until 1945.

The previous post was on the remaining temples in the complex and the three-storey pagoda.

Uchihara Oji Shrine

 

Located in Hidaka, a little north of Gobo, for 800 years this was known as Takaie Oji, but was renamed in early Meiji.

It was one of the 100 Oji, shrines along the main pilgrimage route from Kyoto down the coast of Wakayama and then into the Kumano Sanzan shrines.

Shrine records say there was a shrine here in the mid 5th century. I'm not exactly sure when the system of Oji were established, but I am guessing in the Heian Period when the most imperial pilgrimages along this route took place. The primary kami is listed as Amaterasu, with secondary kami listed as Homuda Wake (Ojin), Ichikishimahime, Kagutsuchi, Sugawara Michizane (Tenjin), Kanayamahiko, and  Nintoku.

During the so-called shrine mergers of early 20th century, 30 local shrines were moved here including multiple Benzaiten, Konpira, Tenjin, and Inari shrines as well as many unamed "satogami".

I visited at the start of day 7 of my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, which in this section follows the old Kumano Kodo Kiiji Route. The previous post was on the nearby Dojoji Temple, a famous and picturesque spot.