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*''Established: [[719]]''
*''Japanese'': 岡太神社・大瀧神社 ''(Okamoto jinja / Ootaki jinja)''
Okamoto and Ôtaki Shrines are, together, a [[Shinto shrine]] in [[Echizen City|Echizen]], [[Fukui prefecture]], dedicated to Kawakami gozen, a ''[[kami]]'' of [[washi|papermaking]]. It is considered the only shrine in Japan dedicated to paper or papermaking.
==History==
The shrine traces its history back to Okamoto Shrine, which was established sometime in the 450s-470s in worship of the deity Kawakami gozen, who is said to have given the secrets of papermaking to the people, and Ôtaki Shrine, established sometime in the 590s-630s. The two were combined in [[719]] by the Buddhist monk [[Taisho daishi|Taichô daishi]], who also established a Buddhist temple on the site called Ôtaki Temple. Together, the shrine-temple compound was dedicated to Mizuhanome no kami (aka Kawakami gozen) along with Kuni no tokotachi no mikoto, [[Izanagi|Izanagi no mikoto]], and the [[bodhisattva]] [[Kannon]].
At its peak in the medieval period, Okamoto/Ôtaki became one of the centers of Hakusan worship in Japan, and a large compound with seven main halls, 48 smaller secondary structures, and over 700 monks. The compound suffered crises during the wars of the [[Northern and Southern Courts]] period, and the wars of [[Oda Nobunaga]] and the [[Ikko-ikki|Ikkô-ikki]], but by the end of the 16th century had received the protection of local warlords such as [[Niwa Nagahide]] and [[Yuki Hideyasu|Yûki Hideyasu]] and had been rebuilt and restored.
The combined temple-shrine complex survived through the [[Edo period]], until the 1870s, when due to the [[Meiji government]] policy of ''[[shinbutsu bunri]]'' (dividing Shinto from Buddhism), Ôtaki temple was transformed into Ôtaki Shrine. Though changing its name and coming to function as a Shinto shrine in most ways, Ôtaki still houses images of the bodhisattva [[Kokuzo|Kokuzô]] and Kannon, and conducts some Buddhist ceremonies.
In 1923, the [[Ministry of Finance]] declared Okamoto Shrine and Kawakami gozen as the shrine and deity of paper for all of Japan. In 1927, Okamoto/Ôtaki Shrine was named a chief shrine of Fukui prefecture (''kensha'').
==Structures==
The main worship hall (''haiden'') of the shrine was most recently rebuilt in [[1843]]. Combining numerous types of roof shapes and eaves into a single structure, it is noted for its complexity. The national government officially designated the hall an [[Important Cultural Property]] in 1984.
A number of smaller shrines are located around the main hall. A path behind the shrine leads up to the ''oku no in'' (inner shrine), a collection of smaller shrine buildings near the top of the mountain, in the former grounds of [[Otaki castle (Echizen)|Ôtaki castle]].
==References==
*Pamphlets available on-site.
[[Category:Shrines]]
*''Japanese'': 岡太神社・大瀧神社 ''(Okamoto jinja / Ootaki jinja)''
Okamoto and Ôtaki Shrines are, together, a [[Shinto shrine]] in [[Echizen City|Echizen]], [[Fukui prefecture]], dedicated to Kawakami gozen, a ''[[kami]]'' of [[washi|papermaking]]. It is considered the only shrine in Japan dedicated to paper or papermaking.
==History==
The shrine traces its history back to Okamoto Shrine, which was established sometime in the 450s-470s in worship of the deity Kawakami gozen, who is said to have given the secrets of papermaking to the people, and Ôtaki Shrine, established sometime in the 590s-630s. The two were combined in [[719]] by the Buddhist monk [[Taisho daishi|Taichô daishi]], who also established a Buddhist temple on the site called Ôtaki Temple. Together, the shrine-temple compound was dedicated to Mizuhanome no kami (aka Kawakami gozen) along with Kuni no tokotachi no mikoto, [[Izanagi|Izanagi no mikoto]], and the [[bodhisattva]] [[Kannon]].
At its peak in the medieval period, Okamoto/Ôtaki became one of the centers of Hakusan worship in Japan, and a large compound with seven main halls, 48 smaller secondary structures, and over 700 monks. The compound suffered crises during the wars of the [[Northern and Southern Courts]] period, and the wars of [[Oda Nobunaga]] and the [[Ikko-ikki|Ikkô-ikki]], but by the end of the 16th century had received the protection of local warlords such as [[Niwa Nagahide]] and [[Yuki Hideyasu|Yûki Hideyasu]] and had been rebuilt and restored.
The combined temple-shrine complex survived through the [[Edo period]], until the 1870s, when due to the [[Meiji government]] policy of ''[[shinbutsu bunri]]'' (dividing Shinto from Buddhism), Ôtaki temple was transformed into Ôtaki Shrine. Though changing its name and coming to function as a Shinto shrine in most ways, Ôtaki still houses images of the bodhisattva [[Kokuzo|Kokuzô]] and Kannon, and conducts some Buddhist ceremonies.
In 1923, the [[Ministry of Finance]] declared Okamoto Shrine and Kawakami gozen as the shrine and deity of paper for all of Japan. In 1927, Okamoto/Ôtaki Shrine was named a chief shrine of Fukui prefecture (''kensha'').
==Structures==
The main worship hall (''haiden'') of the shrine was most recently rebuilt in [[1843]]. Combining numerous types of roof shapes and eaves into a single structure, it is noted for its complexity. The national government officially designated the hall an [[Important Cultural Property]] in 1984.
A number of smaller shrines are located around the main hall. A path behind the shrine leads up to the ''oku no in'' (inner shrine), a collection of smaller shrine buildings near the top of the mountain, in the former grounds of [[Otaki castle (Echizen)|Ôtaki castle]].
==References==
*Pamphlets available on-site.
[[Category:Shrines]]
