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*''Japanese'': 鹿島神宮 or 鹿島神社 ''(Kashima jinguu; Kashima jinja)''
Kashima Shrine, located in modern-day Kashima-chô, [[Ibaraki prefecture]], was the most major [[Shinto shrine]] in [[Hitachi province]] since the 9th century, and one of the most major shrines in the archipelago as a whole.
The shrine is dedicated to the deity [[Takemikazuchi]], a direct offspring of [[Izanagi]] and one of the first deities to be mentioned in the ''[[Kojiki]]''.
The Oumesai ("White Horse Festival") is a major festival associated with the shrine. Originating in the [[Kamakura period]], it involves the viewing of a white horse on New Year's; up until the [[Bakumatsu period]], it was the only festival celebrated within the gates of the main hall at Kashima.
The deity of the shrine, Takemikazuchi, also known simply as "the Kashima deity" (''Kashima-no-kami''), along with the shrine itself, came in the Bakumatsu period to be strongly associated with controlling and containing the [[Namazu]], the legendary giant catfish believed to cause earthquakes. In ''[[namazu-e]]'' images of the 1850s, the Kashima deity is seen physically holding down the catfish, either by standing atop the fish, holding a spear through its head and thus pinning it to the ground, or in conjunction with a specific stone called the ''kaname-ishi'' ("keystone").
{{stub}}
==References==
*James T. Araki, "Bunshô Sôshi: The Tale of Bunshô the Saltmaker," ''Monumenta Nipponica'' 38:3 (1983), 223n2.
*[http://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/2828244696/in/photostream/ Oumesai explanatory plaque], seen at [[Ueno Station]], 8 January 2008.
[[Category:Shrines]]
[[Category:Bakumatsu]]
Kashima Shrine, located in modern-day Kashima-chô, [[Ibaraki prefecture]], was the most major [[Shinto shrine]] in [[Hitachi province]] since the 9th century, and one of the most major shrines in the archipelago as a whole.
The shrine is dedicated to the deity [[Takemikazuchi]], a direct offspring of [[Izanagi]] and one of the first deities to be mentioned in the ''[[Kojiki]]''.
The Oumesai ("White Horse Festival") is a major festival associated with the shrine. Originating in the [[Kamakura period]], it involves the viewing of a white horse on New Year's; up until the [[Bakumatsu period]], it was the only festival celebrated within the gates of the main hall at Kashima.
The deity of the shrine, Takemikazuchi, also known simply as "the Kashima deity" (''Kashima-no-kami''), along with the shrine itself, came in the Bakumatsu period to be strongly associated with controlling and containing the [[Namazu]], the legendary giant catfish believed to cause earthquakes. In ''[[namazu-e]]'' images of the 1850s, the Kashima deity is seen physically holding down the catfish, either by standing atop the fish, holding a spear through its head and thus pinning it to the ground, or in conjunction with a specific stone called the ''kaname-ishi'' ("keystone").
{{stub}}
==References==
*James T. Araki, "Bunshô Sôshi: The Tale of Bunshô the Saltmaker," ''Monumenta Nipponica'' 38:3 (1983), 223n2.
*[http://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/2828244696/in/photostream/ Oumesai explanatory plaque], seen at [[Ueno Station]], 8 January 2008.
[[Category:Shrines]]
[[Category:Bakumatsu]]