Shisho Shrine Imazu

 

Shisho Shrine is located on the waters edge on the protected side of a headland in Imazu Bay.

The komainu, lanterns etc all seem to be of very recent origin.

One particularly huge tree stands in from of it.

Imazu was a port used in trade with mainland Asia in ancient times, for a while supplanting nearby Hakata in this role.

It is said that the shrine was established to protect the foreign ships and sailors who arrived in Imazu, though it would seem more likely to spiritually protect from such visitors, as disease and disaster was thought to come from "outside".

As the name suggests, four kami are enshrined here: Amaterasu, Hachiman, Sumiyoshi, and Kasuga. Hachiman and Sumiyoshi were originally cults from northern Kyushu but were very much "national" kami by this time.

The previous post was on the Bishamondo and viewpoint on the nearby Bishamonyama.

Ibara Sumiyoshi Shrine & Myojoji Temple Ruins

 

According to legend, Empress Jingu stopped here to pray after coming down from Mount Raizan, so for the past hour or two I have been following in her footsteps.

The shrine was controlled by a Shingon temple at the site but in 1868 it was dismantled.

It seems that a long time ago the area around the shrine was an estate of the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata.

I am guessing that the massive trellis supporting wisteria was made on tye site of the former temple.

Three sides of the trellis have Buddhist statues lined up...

Another village shrine was merged with it in the early 20th century, so the main shrine enshrines other kami than the three Sumiyoshi kami.

There are a series of secondary shrines in the grounds including a Suga, Uga, and a Tenmangu.

The previous post was the Takaue Tenmangu Shrine

Sumiyoshi Shrine Haiki

 

This Sumiyoshi Shrine is close to the edge of the water in Haiki near Sasebo, Nagasaki.

About 2 kilometers away, a bit inland, is another Sumiyoshi Shrine that is said to be the origin of this one. A mikoshi is carried between the two shrines during festivals.

It is not a particularly big shrine but seems to be very popular in the area.

Sumiyoshi shrines enshrine the Sumiyoshi Sanjin, the three kami of Sokotsutsu no o no mikoto, Nakatsutsu no o no mikoto, and Uwatsutsu no o no mikoto. Three "brothers" noted for their protection of seafarers.

The main Sumiyoshi Shrine is in Osaka, but it was originally a north Kyushu cult taken to central jaan by Jingu who is also enshrined in Sumiyoshi Shrines now.

The oldest shrine to the Sumiyoshi Sanjin can be found in nearby Hakata in Fukuoka, and also on the Iki Islands which suggests a connection to travel between the Korean peninsula and northern Kyushu, which also explains the Jingu commection.

I was visiting not long after sunrise on Saturday, March 8th, 2014 at the start of my 66th day walking around Kyushu.

The previous post was on the nearby Haiki Strait.

Giant Torii of Ryugu Sumiyoshi Shrine

 

Walking up Route 206, the main road up the western side of Omura Bay in Nagasaki, in the town of Seihi there is a giant vermillion torii straddling a side road.

The road leads to  Ryugu Sumiyoshi Shrine which is part of the Head Temple of Seicho No Ie, a "new" religion founded in 1930. The shrine and temple was established in 1978.

Said to combine elements of Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and various philosophies and psychologies, it claims to be a  monotheistic religion. The founder, Masaharu Taniguchi, claims to have had guidance from Sumiyoshi Okami, hence Ryugu Sumiyoshi shrines are associated with Seicho No Ie properties.

I did not venture up to the shrine on this trip though I had visited it on a road trip earlier. I can find no info on the dimensions of the torii.

The previous post in this series on day 65 of my Kyushu Pilgrimage was on sunrise a little earlier that morning.

Kora Grand Shrine

Kora

According to the shrine records, Kora Taisha was founded in 400 AD. Over the centuries it rose in rank and by the 10th century was a high-ranking shrine and the Ichinomiya of the province.

Enshrined here are a triad of kami, the central being Kora Tamatare no Mikoto, in al probability a local kami. He is now known as being a kami of martial arts, and also performing arts as a local form of kagura is said to have originated here.

The other two primary kami are Hachiman, and the Sumiyoshi kami. Both of these are originally north Kyushu kami, but I suspect they were added here at Kora Taisha after they became national kami, abd that adding them played a part in the shrine being "promoted".

The main building of the shrine date back to the middle of the 17th century. It is in Gongen Zukuri style, which was a heavily Buddhist-influenced style of shrine architecture that places the 3 separate parts of the shrine, the Honden, Haiden, and Heiden, under one roof.

During the same rebuilding, numerous Buddhist structures were also built, including a 5 storey pagoda, but all these would have been removed when the Meiji government "separated. " the Buddhas and kami

Thre are numerous secondary shrines within the main shrine grounds, and I also discovered a pair of fertility stones. Many people drive up to the shrine for the fantastic views down onto Kurume and out over the Chikugo River Plain.

Earlier I posted on the rather impressive route up the mountain to the shrine.

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Sumiyoshi Shrine, Mitarai

Mitarai, on Osaki Shimojima in the Inland Sea grew into a major seaport in the mid 17th Century. Initially it was a good spot for boats to  wait for favorable winds and tides, but prospered by offering services that the sailors desired.

The Sumiyoshi Shrine on the waterfront dates from this time.

Sumiyoshi shrines are noted for offering protection for those undertaking sea journeys. The original Sumiyoshi shrine is in Hakata which was the main point of embarkation for mainland Asia. The Sumiyoshi shrine established in what is now Osaka, the main port serving the capitals of Yamato, is now considered the head shrine.

The three main kami are the Sumiyoshi "brothers", Sokotsutsuno, Nakatsutsuno, & Uwatsutsuno, who according the the standard mythology were created when Izanagi purified himself after visiting Izanami in Yomi. It is possible they represent the three main starts of the Orion Constellation which were used for navigation. Later Empress Jingu was added,.

Sasaguri Taiso-gu Shrine

The large Torii along the road some distance before the shrine gives some indication of the importance of Taiso-gu locally.

A local tourist website says that Taiso Gongen arrived here from China in 724. Another source says that pre Meiji the shrines name was Jimmu Taiso Shrine. Now the main kami is listed as Izanagi.

There are another 6 kami listed here including Amaterasu, Hachiman, Sumiyoshi, & Hiyoshi, which suggest to me they were all later additions.

Like many shrines in Kyushu the grounds contained some huge Camphor trees. Taiso Shrine is well known for its Kagura, one of the few places in Fukuoka where it still exists.