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Is there a sacred object that keeps moving between the mountaintop and the hot spring town at the foot of the mountain? Kattamine Shrine in Miyagi Zao [Miyagi Prefecture]
Is there a sacred object that keeps moving between the mountaintop and the hot spring town at the foot of the mountain? Kattamine Shrine in Miyagi Zao [Miyagi Prefecture]
The Zao mountain range, part of the Ou Mountains, straddles Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures. Did you know that on the Miyagi side of the Zao mountain range, there is a shrine whose deity moves frequently between summer and winter?
Kattamine Shrine, located at the summit of Mt. Katta and Togatta Onsen
Kattamine Shrine is a shrine located in the hot spring town of Togatta Onsen on the eastern foot of Mt. Katta on the Miyagi Prefecture side of the Zao mountain range. It is paired with the "Kattamine Shrine" of the same name located at the summit of Mt. Katta, with the mountaintop side called "Okumiya" and the Togatta Onsen side called "Satomiya."
By the way, there is another shrine in Zao Town called Kattamine Shrine (also known as Shiratori Daimyojin), but it has a slightly different origin
Kattamine Shrine (Okumiya) on the summit of Mt. Katta (1,758m above sea level)
Kattamine Shrine (village shrine) in the hot spring town of Togatta Onsen
The Okumiya and Satomiya shrines are located about 20km apart, from the summit of Mt. Katta to the Togatta hot spring town at the foot of the mountain
The history of Kattamine Shrine and the seasonal relocation of the deity
has its roots in Shugendo, a religion that was established between the Nara and early Heian periods, mixing elements of mountain worship with Buddhism and Taoism
At the time, as ascetics were entering the mountains of various regions and opening training halls, Enno Ozunu, a representative sorcerer of the Asuka period, or his uncle, Gangyo, who was himself a renowned ascetic, decided to use this place as a training ground for himself and enshrined Zao Daigongen, the deity enshrined in the Zaodo Hall of Yoshino Kinpusenji Temple in what is now Nara Prefecture, on the mountaintop. This is said to be the beginning of the mountain's name, "Mount Zao," where Zao Daigongen resides
However, the shrine has been destroyed by several eruptions up to the present day, so it is unclear whether it was still located at the summit of Mt. Katta at that time. However, there are records that it was enshrined at the summit of Mt. Katta in the late Edo period
Later, when the separation of Shinto and Buddhism was carried out during the Meiji Restoration, the shrine was renamed "Mikumari Shrine" in 1872, and then in 1875 it became known as "Karita Mine Shrine."
Seasonal relocation to allow worship during the snowy winter months
Mount Zao receives a lot of snow, and during the winter it is closed off by snow, making it impossible to visit the shrine at the summit
Therefore, a system was put in place to make it easier for people to visit by moving the deity to a shrine in Togatta Onsen at the foot of the mountain. In the summer, people visit the Okumiya at the summit, and in the winter, they visit the Satomiya at the foot of the mountain, so the one deity alternates between the seasons, and the two are one shrine
The summit of Mt. Katta
This custom continues to this day, with the deity being moved from "Satomiya" to "Okumiya" in late April each year to coincide with the opening of the Zao Echo Line and Zao High Line. The deity, which spends spring and summer at the summit of Mt. Katta, is then moved from "Okumiya" to "Satomiya" in a ceremony to descend the mountain on the first Sunday of October after the autumn equinox.
For this reason, Kattamine Shrine's "Satomiya" in Togatta Onsen is said to have been called "Zao Daigongen Okarinomiya." Perhaps it is the "lodging for the deity" that travels to the foot of the mountain every year.
Learn about the history of Komainu! The Komainu at Kattamine Shrine's Satomiya
There are three pairs of Komainu statues at Kattamine Shrine's Satomiya. Originally, Komainu statues were used as guardian statues for the Imperial Palace. They were eventually placed along the approach to shrines and became popular throughout the country after the Edo period
The three pairs of Komainu statues in the grounds of Kattamine Shrine's Satomiya are a valuable example of how Komainu culture has changed over time
First guardian lion
Komainu were not yet common during the Edo period, so it is thought that these were created based on information passed down by stonemasons and donors. They lack a three-dimensional appearance and look more like frogs than Komainu
First guardian lion (left)
First guardian lion (right)
Izumo posture guardian dog
These dynamic lion dogs have their tails raised high, as if ready to pounce at any moment. They were mass-produced from kimachi stone mined in the Izumo region between the Edo and Taisho periods, and were distributed throughout the country mainly by Kitamae ships
Izumo posture-type guardian dog (left)
Izumo posture guardian dog (right)
Guardian lion dog
These thick-limbed guardian lion dogs stand bravely and proudly. They became very popular in the 1930s (during the Pacific War) and were dedicated to shrines all over the country. The one at Kattamine Shrine was apparently made after the war
Guardian lion dog (left)
Guardian lion dog (right)
summary
The god of Zao descends to the hot spring town of Togatta only during the winter. This is a rare opportunity, so if you have the chance to visit Togatta Onsen in the winter, be sure to pay your respects
Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs
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