“What stories does this stone hold?” I ask. We are standing before the \u65e5\u5409\u795e\u793e\u795e\u99ac\u5047\u5c4b\u5730 Stele. This stele stands as a silent testament to the rich history of Kyoto. It connects to the ancient Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine.
The Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine is not in Kyoto. It resides in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. Yet its story deeply intertwines with Kyoto’s fate and spiritual landscape. Hiyoshi Taisha is one of the Twenty-Two Shrines. Before World War II, it was known as Hiei Taisha.
Let me tell you about Hiyoshi Taisha. It is the head shrine of nearly 3,800 Hiyoshi, Hie, and Sanno shrines nationwide. Its torii gates have a unique design called the “Sanno torii.” These torii feature a distinctive gaggle above the main crossbeam. The shrine’s grounds span 400,000 square meters. It is designated as a National Historic Site. The east and west main shrine buildings are National Treasures. Many other structures within the precincts are Important Cultural Properties.
The kami Oyamakui is first mentioned in the Kojiki. This book was written in the 8th century AD. It states that this god resides at Mount Hiei. Mount Hiei is located just east of Hiyoshi Taisha. The kami was moved from the mountain’s summit to its present location in 90 BC. This relocation occurred during Emperor Sujin’s reign.
In 668 AD, Emperor Tenji moved the capital to Omi Province. He built the Otsu Palace. The kami of Omiwa Shrine was relocated at this time. This kami served as protector of the imperial dynasty. It was installed in the Nishi Hongu. The original sanctuary became known as the Higashi Hongu.
Saicho built the Tendai Buddhist temple complex of Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei in 788 AD. After the capital moved to Heian-kyo, Enryaku-ji and Hiyoshi Taisha became guardians of the northeast quadrant. They protected the capital from spiritual vulnerabilities.
Enryaku-ji grew powerful. Buddhism gradually merged with Shinto. This happened under the Shinbutsu-shugo policy. Hiyoshi Taisha became part of Enryaku-ji. Missionaries from Enryaku-ji built Buddhist temples across Japan. They spread the faith in the “Sanno Gongen” and the Hie kami.
During the Heian period, the shrine received Imperial patronage. In 965, Emperor Murakami sent Imperial messengers to report important events. These messengers went to the guardian kami of Japan. Emperor Go-Suzaku added Hie Taisha to this listing in 1039.
Political troubles arose between Enryaku-ji and the government in Kyoto. Warrior-monks carried a mikoshi shrine from Hie Taisha into the capital. They rioted to enforce their political will. Fujiwara no Moromichi opposed these riots. He stopped the mikoshi. Soon after, he died mysteriously. The temple attributed his death to a curse. The mikoshi of Hei Taisha became an object of fear. The temple used the tactic of rioting with the mikoshi over 40 times. This lasted for over 370 years until the Sengoku period.
Oda Nobunaga stopped this practice in 1571. He razed Enryaku-ji to the ground. All of its monks were massacred. This included Hie Taisha. Toyotomi Hideyoshi rebuilt the shrine. The oldest buildings date from 1586 to 1597.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi had deep faith in the Sanno Gongen. His childhood name was “Hiyoshi Maru.” His nickname was “monkey.” The monkey was considered the spiritual messenger of the Hie kami. Tokugawa Ieyasu also supported the shrine.
In 1868, the Meiji government decreed the separation of Shinto and Buddhism. Hie Taisha burned its Buddhist statuary. It disposed of ritual implements and scriptures. This marked the beginning of the Haibutsu kishaku movement. The shrine became one of the Kanpei-taisha under State Shinto.
So, while this \u65e5\u5409\u795e\u793e\u795e\u99ac\u5047\u5c4b\u5730 Stele may seem like a simple stone marker, it echoes the history of Hiyoshi Taisha. It reminds us of the intertwined fates of shrines, temples, emperors, and the very spirit of Japan.