Asuka Shrine, known as Asuka Daigyoji (1)

Asuka Shrine appears in historical documents from the medieval period under the name "Asuka Daigyoji." A "Daigyoji" refers to a monk who directs all affairs during Buddhist memorial services at a temple. As an assistant to the person presiding over the service, the term "Asuka Daigyoji" implies the role of an assistant to the Hayatama deity. A similar example is the Hakusan Gongen. Hakusan is also referred to as the Sansho Gongen (Three-Place Gongen), and the combination consists of the main deity Izanami (whose honji, or original manifestation, is the Eleven-faced Kannon) at the main peak, Gozen-ga-mine; the Daigyoji Gongen (Kukuri-hime, whose honji is the Holy Kannon) as Izanami's assistant at Bessan; and the Oonamuchi Gongen, or Oonamuchi-no-mikoto (whose honji is Amida Nyorai), at Oonanji-mine.
Regarding Asuka Daigyoji, Takeshi Kawasaki writes the following in "A Variation of Kumano Honji: Concerning the Article in 'Kumano-san Ryakki' - Part 1: The Previous Life of Asuka Daigyoji": "In the 'Shingu Kana-gaki Engi' and 'Shingu Engi,' the names of several gods who are the ancestors of the three Kumano clans are listed, and the genealogy of the gods is recorded; Asuka Daigyoji is also positioned within that genealogy. 'Asuka Daigyoji, Omiya, Daiitoku Myoo, six heads, six faces, and six legs to subdue evil spirits. In Magadha, he is the general guardian of the Gongen. Asuka, Inabane, and Inari are of the same body. Asuka Daigyoji came to Kumano before the Gongen, riding on the feathers of a bird called the Ashitori-gami, hence the name Asuka Gongen. Also, he does not meet with the Great Shio at Shingu. He guards the gate. The one who sits at the eastern edge of Asuka is the Sanko-shin, the mother of the Ui, Suzuki, and Enomoto clans.'" Furthermore, in the section on the origins of the three Kumano clans, it states: "The Gongen sent the clan member Kanshi-fu Shogun to the Kumano-san Shingu first. Kanshi-fu Shogun is a descendant of Chiyo-sada, a minister who served in Tenjiku (India), holding the third court rank." Also, in the "Heike Ken-maki" (with a postscript from 1460), it says: "The so-called Ui clan and Suzuki clan are beings that became the left and right wings when the Kumano Gongen flew from the land of Magadha to our country. Because of this, they have controlled Kumano as they pleased and have acted without restraint."
This material states that Asuka Daigyoji was the general guardian of the Gongen in the land of Magadha. This is based on the otogi-zoshi "Kumano no Honji," which was established in the Muromachi period, and this "Kumano no Honji" in turn relies on the "Kumano Gongen no Koto" in the "Shinto-shu." Therefore, I must first explain the "Kumano no Honji," but since the story is long, I will do so on another occasion. Please understand. This material was created with the "Kumano no Honji" in mind. I have already introduced the content that Asuka Daigyoji is the guardian of the Gongen (in this case, the Hayatama deity), that Asuka, Inabane, and Inari are of the same body, and that the Sanko-shin is the mother of the three Kumano clans. What I want to focus on here is: "Asuka Daigyoji came to Kumano before the Gongen riding on bird feathers, so he was given the name Asuka Gongen and serves as the bodyguard of the Kumano Gongen." This is a story about him coming to Kumano riding a bird, associated with the name Asuka. In the origins of the three Kumano clans, the name Asuka Gongen is not used; instead, he is called Kanshi-fu Shogun, and it is stated that he was sent to Shingu by the Gongen, and that the Shogun is a descendant of Chiyo-sada, who served as a minister in Tenjiku. Chiyo-sada is a hunter who appears in the Go-suijaku Engi. In the "Heike Ken-maki," it is stated that the three Kumano clans (here, Ui and Suzuki) became the left and right wings when the Gongen flew from the land of Magadha to Japan, so they have acted as they pleased since coming to Kumano. The materials cited here all state that Asuka Daigyoji is a vassal of the Gongen, that he came to Kumano before the Gongen, and furthermore, that the three Kumano clans are the children of Inari (Sanko-shin), who is of the same body as Asuka and Inabane. In other words, it is written that the three Kumano clans are the children of Asuka Daigyoji.
Here, it is suggested that the god of Asuka is older than the god of Hayatama. Such a tradition may have existed in the background.