Sanyo-kuni Shrine, the main shrine for protecting sericulture, with a cherry tree over 1,000 years old (Fukushima Prefecture)

Kogai-machi is located about 1km southwest of JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station. HereKogai-kuni Shrine,stands

---

Sanyo-kuni Shrine was once the only shrine in Japan known as "Japan's No. 1 Shrine"

This is a historic shrine said to have been founded in 811. In the"Engishiki Jinmyocho,"a list of shrines compiled in 927, it is listed as one of 2,861"Shikinaisha". At that time, only two shrines in Aizu County were counted as Shikinaisha, including Isasumi Shrine, which is now located in Aizu-Misato Town.

Furthermore, there was no other shrine bearing the name "Sanyo Kuni," meaning that at the time, this was the only Sanyo Kuni Shrine in Japan

From its name, it is thought to be related to sericulture,

The Nihon Koki, an imperially commissioned history compiled in the early Heian period, contains a passage stating that "two women from each of the provinces of Ise, Mikawa, Sagami, Omi, Tamba, and Tajima were sent to Mutsu Province to teach sericulture techniques for two years." This suggests that the central government at the time had a plan to establish a sericulture industry in Aizu, and so the shrine was enshrined there, but this is not certain

Enshrined deities and divine virtues

The enshrined deity is

• Ukemochi no Okami (the wolf of food)
• Wakumusubi no Okami (Wakumusubi no Okami)
• Amaterasu Omikami

These three deities are known as the guardian deities of sericulture, and are worshipped as guardians of the prosperity of agriculture, industry, and commerce, as well as road safety

In the worship hall, you can see silk company cocoon plaques, which appear to be made from silkworm cocoons and resemble the company emblem, being donated

---

The shrine temporarily declined after it was burned down, but was restored under the patronage of the Aizu clan

The shrine temporarily declined when the main building, which was said to have been built by Ishibe Shosho Michihide, the prefectural governor, and his associates, was destroyed in a fire in 1011. However, it was later rebuilt by Hoshina Masayuki, the first lord of the Aizu domain, who rebuilt the main building and secured the shrine's land of 20 koku

The shrine building was destroyed again by fire in 1807, but it is said to have been rebuilt again in 1819 by Matsudaira Katayoshi, the eighth lord of the Aizu domain

Perhaps because of this, the crest of the Koyoguni Shrine is theAizu Mitsu-Aoi,""

In 1876, after the Meiji Restoration, it was designated a prefectural shrine under the modern shrine ranking system (now abolished)

---

The Minebari Sakura tree at Sanyo-kuni Shrine is said to be over 1,000 years old

located within the grounds of Koyokuni Shrine"Minehari-zakura"is said to have been planted in 1011 when the shrine was founded by the prefectural governor Ishibe Shosho Michihide and others. It is estimated to be over 1000 years old and is considered the sacred tree of the shrine.

The information board says it is "one of the Aizu Five Cherry Blossoms," but the other cherry blossoms that are generally counted in the Aizu Five Cherry Blossoms are Ishibe Cherry Blossom (Aizuwakamatsu City), Torano-o Cherry Blossom (Aizumisato Town), Usuzumi Cherry Blossom (Aizumisato Town), Sugi no Ito Cherry Blossom (Aizubange Town), and Oshika Cherry Blossom (Inawashiro Town), so perhaps this is the runner-up?

Sanyo-kuni Shrine <Information>

• Name: Kayokuni Shrine
• Address: 2-1, Sanyocho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, 965-0023
• Phone number: 0242-37-3166
• Official URL:Aizu no Kogai-sama – Sanyo Kuni Shrine

Google Map

---