Journey back in time with me, as we stand before the sacred grounds of Rokusho Shrine. This Shinto shrine is not just a place of worship. It is a portal to a rich tapestry of history and cultural significance. Rokusho Shrine stands in Minami-ku, Kyoto. It is one of the Three Genji Shrines. These shrines connect to the Seiwa Genji group, descendants of Emperor Seiwa and the Minamoto clan.
Do you know what makes Rokusho Shrine special? Well, there are actually two shrines with this name. We are standing in front of the one in Kyoto. But there is also another Rokusho Shrine in Okazaki.
Let’s dive deeper into the story of the other Rokusho Shrine, the one in Okazaki. Tokugawa Ieyasu founded that shrine in 1602. He moved deities from the Rokusho Shrine in Matsudaira to this new location. Matsudaira was the origin of the Matsudaira clan. They were ancestors of the Tokugawa clan.
Tokugawa Iemitsu later renovated the buildings. Iemitsu was Ieyasu’s grandson and the third shogun. He visited Okazaki on his way to Kyoto. Iemitsu’s son, Tokugawa Ietsuna, commissioned the rōmon. This is a Gongen-style gate.
Because of its ties to the Tokugawa family, Rokusho Shrine enjoyed protection during the shogunate. Before the Meiji Restoration, only daimyō with substantial rice holdings could climb the stone steps to the shrine. That meant 50,000 or more koku of rice.
The honden is the main hall. The haiden is the worship hall. The heiden is the votive offerings hall. The rōmon is the gate. The shingusho is the offering preparation hall. These structures are Important Cultural Properties. They are protected for their historical and cultural value.
It is now popular with women who pray for easy childbirth. But, its history stretches back to the founder of the Matsudaira samurai family. His name was Matsudaira Chikauji. According to legend, Chikauji built the shrine on Mt. Rokusho. He wanted the deities to watch over his family. They lived in the valley below. People likely worshipped the mountain as divine long before the shrine existed.
Rokusho Shrine has an upper and lower shrine. The upper shrine still stands on the mountain. The lower shrine sits in a valley to the northwest. Many branches of the Matsudaira family protected Rokusho Shrine. It held significant lands during the Edo period. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan then. Tokugawa Ieyasu, a descendant of Matsudaira Chikauji, founded it.
The buildings of the lower shrine display Edo-period architecture. The worship hall looks imposing. Behind it is a smaller main sanctuary. Its roof has thin wooden shingles. Across the road is a thatched stage. It was built for folk kabuki. Other performing arts were also popular here. This lasted from the late Edo period to the early 1900s. The stage was built in 1872. The stage reminds us of the folk performing arts culture. These flourished in central Japan from the 1800s to the early 1900s.
Shrines were social hubs. Villagers gathered to watch folk kabuki and other performances. Villagers and traveling performers staged the shows. These village stages were common in Aichi, Gifu, and southern Nagano Prefectures. Toyota alone has 84 such stages. The stage at Rokusho Shrine is one of the largest and best preserved. A mechanism once lowered actors onto the stage. The massive tie beam shows great effort and expense were put into building it. This reflects the popularity of folk performing arts then. Cinema overtook theater. The stage at Rokusho Shrine has been silent since 1948.
As we conclude our visit to Rokusho Shrine, remember that it is more than just a building. It is a testament to history.