Futaarasan Shrine

• Established: 782, Shôdô Shônin
• Japanese: 二荒山神社　(Futaarasan jinja)

Futaarasan Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Nikkô, part of the "Shrines and Temples of Nikkô" World Heritage Site, collectively along with Nikkô Tôshôgû shrine and the Buddhist temple Rinnô-ji. The three were once a single shrine-temple complex, but were split up by the Meiji government in 1871.

History

The shrine was originally established at the peak of Mt. Nantai by the monk & mountain ascetic Shôdô Shônin. At that time, the mountain was called Futaara-san; an alternate reading of the same kanji (lit. meaning "two storms mountain") is Nikosan, which gave rise to the name Nikkô-zan, today written with a different set of characters, meaning "sun light mountain."

Layout

While a small shrine still stands on the peak of Mt. Nantai, a complex of buildings near the foot of the mountain, neighboring Nikkô Tôshôgû and Rinnô-ji temple, are today the chief structures. The shrine grounds in total, however, span some 3,400 hectares, extending to include Chugushi Shrine on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls, and much of the mountain area today designated as Nikko National Park.

References

• Plaques on-site at Futaarasan Shrine.[1]