Nangū Taisha


Nangū Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in the town of Tarui in Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is the ichinomiya of former Mino Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on May 25. The shrine precincts contain 18 structures from the Edo period, which are designated national Important Cultural Properties. The main building of the shrine is rebuilt every 51 years.

Enshrined ''kami''

The kami enshrined at Nangū Taisha is:Kanayama-hiko-no-mikoto, the kami of mining and the metals industry.

History

Nangū Taisha is located in the southwestern corner of Gifu Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Nangū. The name "Nangū" derives from its location to the south of the ancient Mino Provincial Capital. Nangū Taisha claims to have been first built during the reign of the legendary Emperor Sujin, although there are no historical records prior to its mention in the 836 Shoku Nihon Kōki and in the 859 Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku. The mid-Heian period Engishiki confirmed its status as a myōjin taisha. The shrine was destroyed by a fire in 1501, which destroyed all its records. It was rebuilt by Toki Masafusa, the shugo of Mino Province in 1511.
During the nearby Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the shrine was again completely burnt to the ground and was not rebuilt until 1642, when Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu sponsored the construction efforts. The shrine retains a document which details the cost of the reconstruction. In 1867, as a result of shinbutsu bunri, the Buddhist temple located on the shrine grounds was moved to a different location and named Shinzen-in. In 1871, the shrine was designated as a National shrine, 2nd rank under the Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines of State Shinto. It was promoted to a National shrine, 1st rank in 1925, and its name was changed from "Jinja" to "Taisha" to reflect its more important status.
The shrine is located approximately one kilometer southwest of Tarui Station on the JR Tokai Tōkaidō Main Line.

Nangū Otabi Shrine

Nangū Otabi Shrine is the Soja Shrine of Mino Province. It enshrines all fhe deities of the province
Whenever a new kokushi was appointed by the central government to govern a province, it was necessary for him to visit all of the sanctuaries of his province in order to complete the rites necessary for ceremonial inauguration. Grouping the kami into one location near the capital of the province greatly facilitated this duty,

Cultural Properties

Important Cultural Properties

Honden Edo period. Heiden Edo period.Haiden Edo period.Kairō Edo period. Chokushi-den Edo period.Kobu-den Edo period.Rōmon Edo period.Mikoshi Garage Edo period.Shinkanro Edo period.Sub-shrine Juge Jinja Honden Edo Period Sub-shrine Takayama Jinja Honden Edo Period Sub-shrine Hayato Jinja Honden Edo Period Sub-shrine Nandai Jinja Honden Edo Period Sub-shrine Shichi-ōji Jinja Honden Edo Period

National Intangible Folk Cultural Properties

  • '''Nangu Shrine ritual performances'''

Gifu Prefecture Designated Tangible Cultural Properties

Tachi sword Red and White thread armor Muromachi period; The overall height is 51.5cm, the width of the torso is 24.8cm, and the circumference is 101.0cm. The body is made of lacquered iron kozane intertwined on the front and center of the back of the torso. This domaru dates from when the large armor of the Heian and Kamakura periods was replaced with lighter armor for easier movement