Haibun (11)

 

1200 years after the Tencho Earthquake

(3)

Gods and Buddhas of Akita Castle

 

Approximately 1200 years have passed since the Tencho earthquake, but it continues to have a significant impact on a wide range of aspects of the lives and culture of the local people. This series will focus on Gods and Buddhas of Akita Castle.

 

秋田城の神社仏閣

Shrine and Temple at Akita Castle

 

Akita Castle was an ancient fortified residence located in what is now Akita City, Akita Prefecture, from the Nara period to the mid-10th century during the Heian period.

The founding of Akita Castle dates back to 733 AD (Tempyo 5), when the Dewa Fort was relocated from the Shonai region to Takashimizuoka in Akita Village.

Later, during the Tempyo-Hoji era, it was renamed Akita Castle and played a central role as the administrative, military, diplomatic, and cultural center of northern Dewa Province.

The shrine and temple associated with Akita Castle were Koshio Shrine and Shitennoji Temple in Dewa Province.

 

古四王神社

Koshio Shrine

 

 

武甕槌命(たけみかづちのみこと)

Takemikazuchi-no-Mikoto

 

Amatsukami (heavenly god). A symbol of "martial arts" in Takamagahara (the High Plain of Heaven). In the myth of "The Transfer of the Land of Izumo," he is credited with the transfer of sovereignty over Izumo, and in "Eastern Expedition of Emperor Jimmu," he sends a divine sword to save Emperor Jimmu. He is also known as "Kashima-no-kami/Kashima-sama," the enshrined deity of Kashima Jingu, the head shrine of Kashima shrines.

He is one of Japan's three great war gods and, along with Takeminakata-no-kami, is considered the ancestral deity of sumo, Japan's national sport.

He became the guardian deity of Akita Castle, a base for protecting the northern frontier, as the enshrined deity of Koshio Shrine, which was located in Terauchi Kozakura, adjacent to Akita Castle.

 

 

大彦命(おおひこのみこと)

Ohiko-no-Mikoto

 

He is said to be a son of Emperor Kogen, the 8th emperor, and was deified as one of the Four Generals those days, who was dispatched to pacify and develop the Hokuriku region.

Shrines with similar name ‘koshio’ are distributed from the Hokuriku region to the Tohoku region along the Sea of ​​Japan, and are thought to belong to a lineage that worships Ohiko-no-Mikoto as their ancestral deity and pioneering god.

As the enshrined deity of Koshio Shrine, located in Terauchi Kozakura adjacent to Akita Castle, he became the guardian deity of Akita Castle, a base for protecting the northern frontier.

 

出羽・四天王寺

Shitennoji Temple in Dewa Province

 

Shitennoji Temple in Dewa Province was one of the 46 temples associated with Prince Shotoku and was an ancient temple built within Akita Castle. It was a place of prayer dedicated to the protection of the nation and its people, with the Four Heavenly Kings as its guardian deities.

 

 

Prince Shotoku actively introduced Buddhism as a guiding principle for national governance, issuing an edict stating, "Revere the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) with deep respect," thus positioning Buddhism as the spiritual pillar of the nation. Furthermore, by incorporating this edict into the Seventeen-Article Constitution, he clearly established Buddhism as the spiritual pillar of the nation.

Prince Shotoku promoted the spread of Buddhist teachings and the construction of large-scale temples to establish centers of faith. He saw Buddhism as a crucial spiritual foundation for unifying the frequently fragmented clan society and building a unified nation centered on the emperor. Furthermore, Buddhism and the indigenous Shinto coexisted, laying the foundation for the later syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.

 

出羽・四天王寺を復元したジオラマ

A diorama recreating Shitennoji Temple

 in Dewa Province

 

 

Shitennoji Temple in Dewa Province, as an affiliated temple of Akita Castle, played an important role in the process by which the imperial court advanced its governance and defense of the Tohoku region.

With Kannon as its principal deity, it played a crucial role in protecting the nation and its people from threats from the north at the northernmost fortification of the Ritsuryo state.

The Shio-do Hall enshrined the Four Heavenly Kings who protected Buddhist teachings from all four directions, among whom Bishamonten was a guardian deity of the north who was also a god of wealth and war. 

１２００年後の神仏

Gods and Buddhas 1200 Years Later

 

古四王神社

Koshio Shrine

 

During the medieval period, it was revered as a god of war by the Ando and Akita clans, and later by the Satake clan in the early modern period.

Local residents and distant believers worshipped it not only as a god of war, but also as a tutelary deity, praying for good fortune at important life events, abundant harvests, and healing from illness.

Its designation as the only national shrine in the prefecture after the Meiji Restoration was a testament to the noble historical divine virtues it possessed.

 

 

日の本をまもる神々古四王に

 

The two gods

enshrined at Koshio Shrine

to protect Japan

 

古四王神社例祭

Koshio Shrine Annual Festival

 

The festival is an important religious event for the shrine, where people express their gratitude and pray for good fortune, safety, good health, and a bountiful harvest throughout the year.

It is a major annual event where parishioners and local residents gather. It is held every year on May 7th and 8th.

 

 

若葉風神々祭待ちにけり

 

New leaves breeze

the gods looking forward to

Koshio festival

 

 

神前に提灯供ふ宵祭

 

Festival Eve

 with lanterns offered

 before the gods

 

 

神輿行く若葉の下を寺内へ

 

The portable shrine

proceeding under young leaves

to the town

 

 

巡行に薫風起こる高清水

 

The procession

making a gentle breeze

around Takashimizu

 

 

ゆつたりと掛声進む初夏の里

 

The procession

going on with a leisurely shouting

in early summer town

 

 

作柄の占い棒や最後尾

 

The harvest forecasting poles

  at the very end

 

Note:

On May 7th, the day before the festival, a harvest divination ritual called the "Glue-Applying Stick Ritual" is performed. The parishioners gather and apply glue, made by dissolving rice flour in water, to two cedar sticks, each about 3 meters long. The next day, they observe the state of the dried glue to predict the year's harvest.

At the festival on May 8th, the parishioners make their own judgments about the success or failure of the harvest, and the two divination sticks also participate in the procession, leading at the very back.

 

出羽・四天王寺

Shitennoji Temple in Dewa Province

 

From the mid-Heian period onward, it continued to exist as the head temple of Koshio Shrine.

During the Kamakura period, it became a place of prayer for the shogunate.

Excavations at the Akita Castle site, conducted since 1959, have confirmed the remains of the main hall, lecture hall, bell tower, and sutra repository, suggesting that it may be the site of Shitennoji Temple.

 

史跡　秋田城跡概略図

Historic Site: Outline map of the Akita Castle Ruins

 

 

聖徳太子と仏たち

Prince Shotoku and the Buddhas

 

On Ishiyama, a hill in the Omonogawa Park located at the foot of Mt. Katsuhira, near the ruins of Akita Castle, are enshrined a statue of Prince Shotoku, as well as the statues of Ishiyama Kannon, Hayagriva, Zenkoji Nyorai, Enmei Jizo Bosatsu, Inari, Ishiyama Peace Kannon, and Thirty-Three Kannon.

While Ishiyama Hill is a place of memorial service and prayer, the "Maitreya Bodhisattva sitting in Half-Lotus Position," which contemplates the creation of a bright future, is also enshrined there for the sake of future salvation.

 

 

和を以て天下統一夢の跡

 

Through harmony

unifying the country—

the traces of His dream

 

 

八重桜仏に花を供へけり

 

Double-flowered cherries

offering blossoms to

the Buddhas

 

夏の日もひたすら祈る仏たち

 

 

The Buddhas

 all in prayer

 on summer days too

 

秋色に般若心経唱へけり

 

Chanting the Heart Sutra

impressed by the autumn colors

 

 

天災は時を選ばず雪の出羽

 

Natural disasters

 Strike at no particular time

As in snowy Dewa Province

 

Hidenori Hiruta

Akita International Haiku Network

 

参考資料

 

・秋田城とは？

秋田市観光文化スポーツ部

秋田城跡歴史資料館

・石龍山　勝平寺　―千年時空―より

・国史大辞典、世界大百科事典、

    日本歴史地名大系

・写真　

秋田市観光案内所

秋田国際俳句ネットワーク　蛭田秀法