Yasuura Shrine

Yasuura Shrine seems like it was a fairly major shrine in the past. Founded in 938 on the waterfront, aound the end of the 12tch Century it was moved a little inland to its current location in a wide, wooded hill.

The three kami enshrined here are Ikutsuhikone no mikoto, Amatsuhikone no mikoto, & Kumanokusubi no mikoto, 3 of the 5 males born when Susano chewed up and spat out Amaterasu's jewels.

There is a line of 13 secondary shrines that were moved here in 1912 when the government closed down half the shrines in the country.

There was some evidence of recent ritual activity for the new year, but being somewhat removed from the center of Yukuhashi it lacked the lanterns and banners at other shrines I had visited that morning.

Junisho Shrine

Junisho Jinja

Junisho Shrine is another small village shrine on the banks of the Nakaumi just about 1k north of Oi Shrine. Junisho means "twelve places" and refers to the 12 different kami enshrined here.

The first two are Izanagi and Izanami, the brother-sister, husband-wife, pair who really are the most important of the Japanese kami. It was they who created the Japanese islands and populated them with a whole pantheon of kami.

Among the kami created by Izanagi and Izanami perhaps the most important are the siblings Amaterasu and Susano, both also enshrined here. Amaterasu is often called the most important Japanese kami, but that is really just a hangover from State Shinto, her importance being that the imperial family claim descent from her. In real terms Susano is more important. He "descended" to Japan long before the descendants of Amaterasu, and there are far more shrines in Japan to Susano and his lineage than there are for Amaterasu and her lineage.

Between them, by "trial of pledge", Amaterasu and Susano created the  Gonansan Joshin, 5 male and 3 female kami, 6 of whom are enshrined here. The three females, often called the Munakata Kami, were kami strongly connected with travel between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. They are Tagitsuhime, Takiribime, and Ichikishimahime. The three male are Kumanokusubi, Ikutsuhikone, and Amenohohi. Its not clear why 2 of the eight are not enshrined here, nor why the only kami enshrined here, Konohanasakuyahime, that is not part of the obvious grouping of twelve.

There is also an altar/shrine to Kojin.