Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
- Founded: 1063
- Japanese: 鶴岡八幡宮 (tsurugaoka hachimanguu)
Tsurugaoka Hachimangû is a Shinto shrine in Kamakura, the family shrine of the Minamoto clan.
The shrine got its start in 1063, as an extension or branch of Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, when Minamoto no Yoriyoshi prayed to Hachiman for victory against Abe no Sadatô. Yoriyoshi's son Minamoto no Yoshiie repaired the shrine in 1081 and moved it from the village of Yui (today the neighborhood Yuigahama) to the village of Kobayashi. Minamoto no Yoritomo moved it again, to its current location in 1180, making it the center of the city of Kamakura. The main street, Wakamiya-ôji, runs directly southwest from the main entrance to the shrine.
Yoritomo made it his family's tutelary shrine, a site for official Kamakura shogunate ritual events, as well as a shrine dedicated to protecting the shogunate, the Minamoto clan, and its vassals. It was made into a syncretic Shintô-Buddhist site, and twenty-five Buddhist monks, along with a head monk, were assigned to the shrine. A head priest was chosen from the Ôtomo clan, but was subordinate to the monks' authority.
In addition to Hachiman, the shrine is also dedicated to Emperor Ôjin, his mother Empress Jingû, and his wife Himegami.
The main worship hall burned down in 1191, and in the rebuilding, the shrine was transformed. A new Upper Shrine was constructed halfway up the mountainside, while a branch Lower Shrine called Wakamiya Shrine was constructed down below. Shizuka Gozen is said to have danced on the shrine's maiden, while the third Kamakura shogun, Minamoto no Sanetomo, was assassinated on or near the stairs to the Upper Shrine, in 1219. Having become strongly associated with the warrior administration, even after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate, Tsurugaoka Hachimangû continued to be revered by prominent samurai leaders. The Ashikaga kubô, Hôjô Ujitsuna, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were among the many who organized renovation, restoration, or rebuilding efforts at Tsurugaoka over the centuries. The shrine burned down on a number of occasions, including on 1280/11/14, in 1296, and by attacking forces in 1526.
In the Meiji period, the shrine was designated a national shrine. Its Buddhist elements were torn away, and for a time the shrine fell into ruin. However, in the 1960s-1970s, it became an extremely popular site for hatsumôde (the first shrine visit on or after New Year's), at one point seeing the largest crowd in the entire country for eight years straight.
Today, the shrine remains an extremely popular site for hatsumôde, weddings, and tourists. It celebrates its chief annual festival on September 15 every year, and is known for its yabusame tournaments held every September 16.
References
- "Tsurugaoka Hachimangû." Dare demo yomeru Nihonshi nenpyô 誰でも読める日本史年表. Yoshikawa Kôbunkan.
- "Tsurugaoka Hachimangû." Digital Daijisen デジタル大辞泉. Shogakukan.
- "Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine." Encyclopedia of Japan. Kodansha.
- "Tsurugaoka Hachimangû." Nihon daihyakka zensho Nipponica 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ). Shogakukan.
- "Tsurugaoka Hachimangu." Sekai daihyakka jiten 世界大百科事典. Hitachi Solutions, 2012.
