| Futarasan Shrine 二荒山神社 |
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| The Sacred Bridge, part of the Futarasan Shrine. | |
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| Dedicated to | Ōkuninushi Tagorihime Ajisukitakahikone |
| Founded | 767 |
| Founder(s) | Shōdō Shōnin |
| Address | Nikkō, Tochigi |
| Phone | 0288-54-0535 |
| Website | 日光二荒山神社 Homepage |
Futarasan Shrine (二荒山神社 Futarasan Jinja) is a Shinto shrine in the city of Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. To distinguish it from the shrine in nearby Utsunomiya, it is also called Nikkō Futarasan Shrine. It enshrines three deities: Ōkuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone. It was founded in 767 by Shōdō shōnin (勝道上人). The shrine takes its name from Mount Nantai, which is also called Futarasan (二荒山).
Futarasan Shrine is located between Nikkō Tōshō-gū and the Taiyū-in Mausoleum. Many visitors go to all three, as well as to Rinnō-ji.
Together with Nikkō Tōshō-gū and Rinnō-ji, it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine possesses two swords that are National treasures of Japan. Additionally, dozens of buildings and cultural artifacts are listed as Important Cultural Assets.
The Sacred Bridge (神橋 shinkyō) crossing the Daiya River belongs to the Futarasan Shrine.
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Futarasan Shrine as an example of mountain worship
Archeologists affirm that during the Yayoi period the most common go-shintai (御神体) (a yorishiro housing the enshrined kami) in the earliest Shinto shrines was a nearby mountain peak supplying with its streams water, and therefore life, to the plains below, where people lived.[1]
Mount Nantai constitutes Futarasan Shrine's go-shintai, and the shrine is an important example of this ancient type of mountain cult.[1] Significantly, the name Nantai (男体) itself means "man's body".[1] The mountain not only provides water to the rice paddies below, but has the shape of the phallic stone rods found in pre-agricultural Jōmon sites.[1]
Photo gallery
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The main hall (honden) lies within the enclosure. |
 Building (probably haiden) |
 Building housing mikoshi |
 Hie Shrine |
 Chinese-style lantern, the Bake-doro ("Ghost Lantern") |
 Daikoku-den 大黒殿 |
 Mitomo Jinja |
 Other buildings at Futarasan Shrine |
 The gate leads to the precincts of the shrine |
See also
Notes
References
- Brown, Delmer M. (1993). The Early Evolution of Historical Consciousness in "Cambridge History of Japan", Vol. 1. Cambridge, New York & Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521223522.
- Encyclopedia of Shinto, Nikkōsan shinkō accessed on September 20, 2009
- Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version
External links
- UNESCO document: Advisory Body Evaluation
- Futarasan Shrine official Web site
- Tochigi Jinja-chō
- Nikkō National Park official Web site
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Futarasan Shrine |
Coordinates: 36°45′30″N 139°35′47″E / 36.75833°N 139.59639°E
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