Torii of Osaki Hachiman Shrine

[Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture] “Osaki Hachimangu Shrine”, a national treasure and the Sendai general guardian, famous for the naked pilgrimage of the Donto Festival

Osaki Hachiman Shrine is a shrine located on the west side of Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, along Prefectural Route 31 (Sendai Murata Line) in Yawata, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, which is a designated city.

The former status of the shrine was a village shrine, and the deities enshrined are Emperor Ojin, Emperor Chuai, and Empress Jingu, and the shrine is also famous for the Donto Festival at Osaki Hachimangu Shrine

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT
Related article
image
[Miyagi] Traditional New Year event “Donto Festival”
https://jp.neft.asia/archives/1116
When the sound of bamboo exploding in flames echoes through the temple grounds, the people of Miyagi Prefecture realize once again that the new year has begun. The ``Matsutaki Festival'' is held at Osaki Hachimangu Shrine in the cold skies. This festival, which is crowded with worshipers dressed in cold weather gear and groups of naked worshipers, is called the Donto Festival, a traditional event in Miyagi Prefecture. What is Donto Festival? Donto Festival is a general term for festivals held in Miyagi Prefecture and other parts of the Tohoku region, and is a traditional New Year's farewell event in which New Year's decorations and old Shinto cards are burned on the grounds of shrines. In western Japan, a similar Shinto ritual called ``Sagicho'' is well known. Kadomatsu and pine decorations brought in by the night of January 14th every year...
Read related articles

Momoyama-style shrine building designated as a national treasure

The exact date of Osaki Hachiman Shrine's founding is unknown, but during the Heian period, Sakanoue Tamuramaro, who was entrusted by the imperial court with the conquest of Ezo in the Tohoku region, solicited Hachiman, the god of war, from Usa Jingu Shrine in present-day Oita Prefecture, and the Ezo political party It is said that the shrine began when it was enshrined inside Isawa Castle (present-day Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture), where the military headquarters was located and served as a front-line base.

For this reason, the original name was Chinjufu Hachimangu Shrine

Mr. Osaki revived the property as Osaki Hachiman, which was solicited by Minamoto no Yoshiie, also known as Yawata Taro.

Later, during the Nine Years War, Minamoto no Yoshiie, also known as Hachiman Taro, along with his father Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, quelled the Abe clan's rebellion. At that time, he solicited Iwashimizu Hachiman and deposited his weapons at the site of Komatsu Shrine (present-day Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), which was the guardian deity of the old Nitta fence.

the Osaki clan , a branch of the Ashikaga shogunate family who had achieved a dominant position in the Tohoku region as the Oshu Kanrei , learned that this shrine had been commissioned by their distant ancestor, Minamoto no Yoshiie. the name was changed to Osaki Hachiman as the general guardian of the five Osaki districts (Shida, Tamatsukuri, Kami, Toda, and Kurihara) It is believed that the relocation of the Chinjufu Hachimangu Shrine, which is the origin of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, took place at this time.

During the Warring States period, the Osaki clan gradually lost power as they competed for supremacy with the local Kokujin class, and when Toyotomi Hideyoshi came to rule the country, he was ordered to resign for not participating in the attack on Hojo in Odawara. It will be.

From Osaki to Sendai by Date Masamune

Date Masamune, who subsequently came to rule this area, moved his base from Iwadeyama Castle in present-day Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture to Sendai Castle (commonly known as Aoba Castle) in Sendai City. He built a new shrine building for Osaki Hachiman Shrine at its current location, and transferred both Osaki Hachiman Shrine Narushima Hachiman Shrine in Yonezawa, which had been his home for many years,

The shrine that Date Masamune donated at this time was built in the Gongen style, painted entirely in black lacquer, and studded with glittering golden decorative metal fittings.It is now designated as a national treasure is.

Osaki Hachiman Shrine Main Hall
Main hall of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine during the annual festival

The guardian deity for those born in the Year of the Dog and the Year of the Pig

Various festivals are held at Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, but the annual festival in September in particular features performances such as Noh Kagura, which has been designated as an intangible folk cultural property by Miyagi Prefecture, and Yabusame, which has been practiced since the days of the Sendai Domain. It's a lively event.

Also, because it is located in the dry direction of Sendai Castle, it is widely worshiped by people born in the year of the dog or the year of the boar, and this tradition continues even today.

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT
Related article
image
Tohoku's zodiac guardian main image sacred site: Miyagi edition "Sendai zodiac guardian main image sacred site"
https://jp.neft.asia/archives/28104
Do you know what a “sacred place” is? It is a pilgrimage route that visits sacred sites and temples all over Japan in order, and the nationally famous Shikoku 88 Temples Tour is also a pilgrimage route to the ``Shikoku 88 Sacred Sites.'' There are various sacred sites in the Tohoku region, but this time we will introduce sacred sites related to the zodiac in Miyagi Prefecture. Sendai Zodiac Amulet Honzon Sacred Site Sendai Zodiac Amulet Honzon Sacred Site is a sacred place of the Zodiac Amulet Honzon located in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, and is also known as the Sendai Kedegami Sacred Site. There are a total of 12 temples in Sendai city, but the most famous one is [Chi] Zen Hospital Kannon Hall...
Read related articles

Osaki Hachimangu Shrine＜Information＞

Google Map

Articles that may be related to this article

Other articles