Jakuichi Oji Shrine: The Origin of Azumino | A Thousand-Year Shrine Where the Nishina Clan and Shinto-Buddhist Syncretism Breathe

A Shrine Standing at the Origin of Azumino |
The Founding of Jakuichi Oji Shrine

Jakuichi Oji Shrine is enshrined in Omachi, the heart of Azumino.

Its origins are said to date back to the reign of Emperor Suinin.
It is believed that Prince Nishina, who ruled this region,


built a shrine to worship Izanami-no-Mikoto as a water deity and later, Prince Nishina and his consort, Princess Imoya, were also enshrined together as the "founding deities of this land."

The site of its founding is beside an irrigation canal called
segi that the Nishina clan developed during the Kamakura period. It was a crucial point for drawing water into the town of Azumino,

and as a shrine dedicated to Izanami-no-Mikoto, who governs water,
it was deeply connected to the lives of the local people.

Amidst the nature and water culture of Azumino,
Jakuichi Oji Shrine existed from early on as a central place of faith for the region.

The Nishina Clan and Kumano Faith |
The History of the Jakuichi Oji Invocation

It is said that in the second year of the Kasho era (849),
the Nishina clan, who held the Azumi district, established the shrine buildings.

A major turning point was the Kumano pilgrimage of Nishina Morito Sukune.

Morito visited Kumano Nachi Taisha in Kii Province and
invoked the "Jakuichi Oji" enshrined in the fifth hall.

Because of this, the shrine was called the "Jakuichi Oji Palace"
and strengthened its character as the guardian deity of the Nishina Manor.

Morito was a person who gained the favor of Retired Emperor Go-Toba
and served as a Saimen-no-Bushi (warrior of the western face),
and his faith and political background
deeply influenced the history of Jakuichi Oji Shrine.

During the Sengoku period, it received the reverence of the lord of Matsumoto Castle,
and in the second year of the Koji era (1556), the main hall was constructed by Nishina Moriyasu
.

Furthermore, a major renovation was carried out in the third year of the Jo-o era (1654),
and the family crest from that time still remains today.

Jakuichi Oji Shrine can be said to be a shrine that reflects the history of the Nishina clan itself.

The Precincts That Preserve the Appearance of Shinto-Buddhist Syncretism

A major feature of Jakuichi Oji Shrine is that
shrine and temple architecture coexist within the same precincts
.

• Main Hall (1556, Important Cultural Property)

• Kannon-do Hall (1706, Nagano Prefectural Treasure)

• Three-story Pagoda (1711, Nagano Prefectural Treasure)

The Kannon-do Hall houses an
Eleven-faced Kannon statue considered to be the Honji-butsu (original Buddha) of Jakuichi Oji,
and the Five Wisdom Buddhas are enshrined in the three-story pagoda.

During the Haibutsu Kishaku (abolition of Buddhism) movement at the time of the Meiji Restoration,
the Matsumoto Domain promoted the destruction of Buddhism.

However, it is said that at Jakuichi Oji Shrine,
the ancestors built a small embankment between the buildings and made the excuse that "the shrine and the temple are separate"
and thus escaped destruction.

Thanks to this quick thinking, the
form of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism in Azumino was miraculously preserved.

Omachi Yabusame |
The Samurai Prayers Passed Down by the Nishina Clan

The "Omachi Yabusame" that colors the annual festival of Jakuichi Oji Shrine is considered one of the

three great Yabusame rituals in Japan, alongside Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura and Kamo Shrine in Kyoto.

Its origins date back to the third year of the Jokyu era (1221).
It is said to have begun when Morito Nishina, upon receiving orders from the Retired Emperor Gotoba to hunt down Hojo Yoshitoki, dedicated a Yabusame ritual at the shrine to pray for military success before heading to the front.

The most distinctive feature of the Omachi Yabusame is that
children aged 6 to 9 serve as the archers.

The children are considered "children of the gods," and the utmost care is taken to ensure their feet do not touch the ground.

The horse is accompanied by a lead handler, a hat bearer, and guards,
and the sight of them parading with the chant of "Hao, Hao, Hao"
is reminiscent of a daimyo procession.

This event was designated as a folk cultural asset of Omachi City in 1971,
and as a Nagano Prefecture designated cultural asset in 2001,
and it continues to be passed down as a source of local pride.

Passing Azumino's History and Culture to the Future |
What Jakuichi Oji Shrine Tells Us

Jakuichi Oji Shrine was elevated to a prefectural shrine in 1931,
and was added to the list of special shrines (Beppyo-jinja) in 1976.

As a shrine that symbolizes the history and culture of Azumino,
it remains beloved by many people today.

The shrine forest on the grounds was designated a natural monument in 1965,
and within the forest of conifers, centered on Japanese cedars,
a single beech tree stands quietly.

This space where nature and faith coexist
is the very essence of the original landscape of Azumino.

Jakuichi Oji Shrine, which preserves the form of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism as it was,
is not merely an "old shrine."

It is a living document that conveys the layers of faith, culture, and history that the land of Azumino has nurtured to the present day
.

Summary | Jakuichi Oji Shrine,
Continuing to Illuminate the History of Azumino

Tracing the history of Jakuichi Oji Shrine,
the way the land of Azumino has nurtured people's lives and
faith quietly emerges.
It begins with its founding during the era of Emperor Suinin,

and the ancient memory of enshrining Izanami-no-Mikoto as a deity of water.

The background to the joint enshrinement of Prince Nishina and Princess Imoya as the "founding deities" of the region
was the respect and prayers of the people who were rooted in this land.

In the medieval period, the Nishina clan brought Kumano faith with them
to invite the deity Jakuichi Oji,
and nurtured the shrine as a guardian of the samurai class.

Even as the era shifted from the Warring States period to the Edo period,
the shrine buildings were repeatedly repaired under the patronage of the Matsumoto Domain,
and it never lost its role as the center of the region.

And even after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in the Meiji era,
the fact that the Kannon-do hall and the three-story pagoda remained on the grounds
symbolizes the "form of faith" that the people of Azumino have cherished.
The Japanese religious culture where gods and Buddhas exist together,

which was once taken for granted.

Places where that form still breathes today
are rare even on a national scale.

Furthermore, folk events represented by the Omachi Yabusame
are proof that the prayers of the samurai
have been passed down as local culture.

The unique tradition where a child serves as the archer tells us that
Jakuichi Oji Shrine is not merely a historical heritage site, but
a place where faith is still very much alive today.

Jakuichi Oji Shrine is the "very memory of the region" itself,
formed by the layering of Azumino's nature, water, history, culture,
and the prayers of its people.

Having watched over the lives of this land for over a thousand years,
the shrine will surely continue to quietly illuminate
the future of Azumino.

Impressions

Thank you for reading
until the end.

I visited as part of a tour of three-story pagodas,
but

I realized that this was also the site of the Yabusame ritual.

I had seen it on the news occasionally,
so
I had been curious about it.

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