Nijugohashira Shrine

Overview

Nijugohashira Shrine is a shrine located in Kakinokihara-cho, Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. While the name is sometimes read nijugobashira, it is properly called nijugohashira. This distinctive name derives from the merging of twenty-five shrines of the area into a single shrine during the Meiji period. It is a shrine established by consolidating twenty-five shrines, including candidate shrines for several shikinaisha located in Taki District, Ise Province, and it enshrines many deities including Kotoshironushi-no-Kami. Its former shrine rank was village shrine (sonsha). Standing quietly in farmland on the outskirts of Matsusaka City, it has gathered faith as the local guardian deity. It is a shrine that vividly conveys the history of shrine consolidation in modern Japan, with numerous local deities of the area gathered within a single shrine.

History and Origins

The greatest distinctive feature of Nijugohashira Shrine lies in the circumstances of its establishment. In the Meiji period, under the government's shrine consolidation policy, small shrines across the country were merged into nearby shrines. In Kakinokihara as well, as many as twenty-five shrines scattered throughout the parish area were merged into a single shrine, and because the deities of those shrines were enshrined together in one place, the shrine name Nijugohashira Shrine, meaning twenty-five pillars, was born. In other words, the name expresses the very number of deities enshrined.

Importantly, among the merged shrines are several candidate shrines for shikinaisha listed in the Heian-period Engishiki Jimmyocho. Candidate shrines for shikinaisha of Taki District, Ise Province, such as the ancient shrines Nagareda Shrine, Ushiniwa Shrine, and Sumarome Shrine, are merged into this Nijugohashira Shrine. The Engishiki Jimmyocho is a register of shrines officially recognized as objects of state ritual, included in the Engishiki, the detailed regulations of the ritsuryo codes compiled in 927; to be listed in it means a shrine of proper and ancient lineage. At the head of the merged shrines of Kakinokihara, the wooden tablet of a shrine regarded as a shikinaisha is displayed, and the wooden tablets of numerous merged shrines line the precincts. These shikinaisha candidate shrines originally each held their own shrine grounds, but through the Meiji-period consolidation they were gathered to the land of Kakinokihara. At the former site where Ushiniwa Shrine once stood, a stone monument recording the merger has been erected, and so the memory of each shrine before consolidation also remains in the area.

Kotoshironushi-no-Kami, one of the principal deities, is a deity appearing in the Izumo myths, known as a god of oracle and of the sea. It has been worshiped since ancient times in the land of Ise as well, and is the central deity of Nijugohashira Shrine. In that the history of the area's faith is condensed within a single shrine, this shrine is a precious presence conveying to the present the modern shrine policy and the nature of local faith.

Highlights

The highlight of Nijugohashira Shrine lies above all in the story of its establishment itself. In the precincts, the wooden tablets of numerous merged shrines are lined up, conveying to this day the existence of the twenty-five shrines that once dotted the area around Kakinokihara. Tracing the shrine names written on each tablet, one comes to see how many deities this area enshrined and how rich a history of faith it nurtured. The sight of ancient shrines, including shikinaisha candidates, gathered into a single shrine is something rarely seen elsewhere.

Nijugohashira Shrine also stands quietly within farmland, along the route from central Matsusaka toward Meiwa Town and the Ise City area. So pastoral is its setting, blending into the idyllic rural scenery, that some visitors deliberately walk the rice-field paths rather than the prefectural road to reach it. Unlike grand shrines bustling as tourist sites, the simple appearance of a guardian deity living within the life of the community gives visitors a quiet sense of peace. For those interested in the history of the Engishiki and shrine consolidation, it is a fascinating shrine where one can verify the structure of a merged shrine firsthand, and it will be one destination on a journey tracing the faith history of the Ise region.

Event Information and Access

The annual festival of Nijugohashira Shrine is held each year on December 15, with the character of an autumn festival and Niinamesai (harvest thanksgiving festival). The Niinamesai is an important rite, continuing since the imperial court, of giving thanks for the year's harvest and offering new grain to the deities, and it has been performed at shrines throughout the land. At Nijugohashira Shrine too, a festival giving thanks for the year's bounty as the local guardian deity is carried on by local people. Though not accompanied by gorgeous floats or large processions, it is a simple and solemn rite rooted in the community.

For access, head from central Matsusaka City to Kakinokihara-cho on the outskirts. The nearest station is Matsusaka Station on the Kintetsu and JR lines, from which one accesses the Kakinokihara area by car or bus. As the shrine is located within farmland, it may be a walk from the nearest bus stop or road. Walking through the idyllic rural scenery to reach the shrine has a charm unique to this place. As this is a place of local life and faith, it is important to visit quietly and with respect when worshiping. As the exact festival dates and times may differ from year to year, confirming through local information is advisable.

Around the Area

Matsusaka City, where Nijugohashira Shrine is located, is a city rich in history representative of the Ise region. Matsusaka flourished as a merchant town in the Edo period and produced many wealthy merchants known as the Matsusaka merchants. Former residences and merchant townscapes connected to the Matsusaka merchants remain, conveying the prosperity of that time to today. Matsusaka is also known as the place associated with the scholar of national learning Motoori Norinaga, and facilities commemorating Norinaga welcome visitors. And when it comes to Matsusaka, it is famous nationwide as the home of Matsusaka beef, a land rich in culinary appeal as well.

Geographically, Matsusaka City is near Ise City, home of the Ise Grand Shrine, and heading east from Nijugohashira Shrine leads through Meiwa Town to Ise. In Meiwa Town are the ruins of Saiku, where the Saio, the princess who served the Ise Grand Shrine, once lived, now maintained as a national historic site. It is a place conveying the history of faith linking the ancient court and the Ise Grand Shrine. Together with a visit to the Ise Grand Shrine, a journey to visit local ancient shrines and merged shrines such as Nijugohashira Shrine, touching the layered history of faith in the Ise region, will be a deeply rewarding one.

Related Information

Details on Nijugohashira Shrine can be found in research materials on Engishiki shrines and in shrine-related information of Mie Prefecture and Matsusaka City. This shrine was established by merging twenty-five shrines of the Kakinokihara area in the Meiji period, and among them are included several candidate shrines for shikinaisha of Taki District, Ise Province. The circumstances of its establishment, with numerous local deities gathered into a single shrine, are a precious case for understanding the shrine consolidation policy of modern Japan and the nature of local faith. Tracing the histories of each merged shrine and the stone monuments remaining at the former shrine sites, the rich history of faith this area has nurtured comes into view. When visiting ancient shrines, one should bear in mind that these are places of faith long and carefully protected by local people, and worship with respect.

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