Try your luck with 'Undama' at Udo Jingu, a cliff-side shrine facing the Nichinan Coast! The father of Emperor Jimmu is here!
It is said that Toyotama-hime, the wife of Yamasachihiko, gave birth to Ugayafukiaezu-no-Mikoto, the father of Emperor Jimmu, here. This is a rare shrine in Japan that features a vermilion main hall inside a cave. It is said that if you throw an 'Undama' (lucky ball) into the Kame-ishi (turtle stone) protruding from the sea in front of the main hall—using your left hand for men and your right hand for women—your wishes will come true.
Change Log
2023/02/05 VideoAdded
▼Website
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3232 Miyaura, Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture
▼Deity
・Ugayafukiaezu-no-Mikoto
→Father of Emperor Jimmu
I should probably check the genealogy on the official website.
Aoshima Shrine and Udo Jingu
This is the setting for the legend of Yamasachihiko and Umisachihiko told in Japanese mythology. Umisachihiko (Hoderi-no-Mikoto) and Yamasachihiko (Hoori-no-Mikoto), the sons of Ninigi-no-Mikoto and Konohanasakuya-hime, lived by fishing and hunting respectively, but one day, at Yamasachihiko's suggestion, they swapped tools and went to work. They had no success with their unfamiliar tasks, and to make matters worse, Yamasachihiko lost his brother's precious fishhook.
*The story of Umisachihiko and Yamasachihiko is associated with Aoshima Shrine.
At a loss, Yamasachihiko followed the advice of Shiotsuchi-no-Kami and went to the palace of Watatsumi-no-Kami (the Dragon Palace), where he took Toyotama-hime, the daughter of Watatsumi-no-Kami, as his wife. Eventually, Yamasachihiko retrieved the fishhook and returned to land, and Toyotama-hime, who was pregnant with his child, came to join him for the birth. It is said that the birthing hut for Toyotama-hime was prepared in the cave where the main hall of Udo Jingu now stands. It was a magnificent hut made with cormorant feathers, but it was not completed in time for the birth, and thus the child was named Ugayafukiaezu-no-Mikoto. Udo Jingu enshrines this Ugayafukiaezu-no-Mikoto.
So,
Aoshima Shrine = Shimogamo Shrine = Parent
Udo Jingu = Kamigamo Shrine = Child
Does that make sense to people in the Kansai region??
Personally, the following story makes more sense to me.
Udo Jingu 'History' - Quoted fromhere
In Fukei-no-Ura in Hyuga Province, there is a dragon hole called 'Udo-no-Iwaya' (Udo Cave). The five generations of earthly deities and the six deities including Emperor Jimmu were enshrined here, and it was also known as 'Udo Rokusho Gongen' or 'Udo Daigongen.'
Long ago, Yamasachihiko lost the fishhook he had borrowed from his brother, Umisachihiko. While searching for it, he met Toyotama-hime at Watatsumi-no-Miya (the Sea Palace) and married her. The princess was to give birth in the Udo Cave, so a birthing hut was hurriedly built using cormorant feathers.
The princess told the Mikoto, 'After I give birth, until 100 days have passed, neither I nor the child must ever be peeked at.'
However, the Mikoto found 100 days too long to wait. Being told not to look only made him want to look more. Finally, on the 99th day, he lit a torch and peeked into the birthing hut through a gap in the thatch door.
What the Mikoto saw there was not the princess. The princess, who was indescribably beautiful at the Sea Palace, had transformed into a great serpent about 16 jo (approx. 48 meters) long, riding on a crocodile about 8 hiro (approx. 12 meters) long, and was nursing the child.
The Mikoto was greatly surprised and terrified. Meanwhile, the princess felt ashamed that her true form had been seen by the Mikoto and decided to return to the Sea Palace. The Mikoto tried his best to persuade her to stay, but to no avail.
The princess tore off her left breast for the sake of the child, pressed it against the wall of the cave, and left. This is the 'Ochichi-iwa' (Breast Stone) that remains today. The door to the Sea Palace was then closed, and it became impossible to go there.
The fire of shame the princess felt at having her serpent form seen, the fire of longing for her child, and the fire of passion from being separated from the Mikoto—these three fires continue to burn even today. It is said that the sacred fire of Mount Kirishima is one of these.
After that, Tamayori-hime, the eldest daughter of the Sea God, was sent from the Sea Palace to raise the child. This child is Hikonagisatakeugayafukiaezu-no-Mikoto. He is the fifth of the earthly deities and the father of Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan.
▼Highlights
The cave where the main hall of Udo Jingu is located is the place where Toyotama-hime built the birthing hut to give birth to the main deity, and it was founded during the reign of Empress Suiko. Since the Heian period, it has flourished as a spiritual site also known as the 'Koyasan of the West,' a major training ground for Shugendo.
It seems it was considered a sacred site for marine worship since ancient times.
Between this and Omi Shrine in Hyuga, shrines in Miyazaki are fascinating. If the weather is nice, the contrast between the blue sea and the vermilion must be magnificent.
There is a shrine office to the left, and after passing through the gate, there are stairs leading down. In a sense, the approach is similar to that of the Udo Shrine at Omi Shrine.
It seems that Kushiiwamado-no-kami and Toyoiwamado-no-kami are enshrined on the second floor of the Romon gate.
The approach from the Romon gate to the main hall is a cliff overlooking the Hyuga Sea on the right. After crossing the Chidori Bridge and the Tama Bridge, you descend a steep stone staircase into the sea cave where the main hall stands.
The Tama Bridge, also known as the 'God's Bridge,' is made of 36 bridge planks and is said to have been built without using a single nail. After crossing the Tama Bridge, the path becomes a narrow and steep staircase.
▽ Main hall, auxiliary shrines, etc. inside the cave
The main hall is located inside a cave that was slowly carved out by waves over time. It is said to be about 1,000 square meters in size.
Inside a cave on Udozaki Cape, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean, stands the brightly colored vermilion main hall.
To the left of the main hall is the 'Oji Shrine.' Here, Hikoitsuse-no-mikoto, the older brother of Emperor Jimmu and a child of the enshrined deity, is worshipped.
There is also a shrine office inside the cave, and the next thing you see is the 'Kuhashira Shrine.' The shrine is a connected structure, and nine deities are enshrined there: Kamunaobi-no-kami, Oonaobi-no-kami, Izunome-no-kami, Sokotsutsuo-no-mikoto, Nakatsutsuo-no-mikoto, Uwatsutsuo-no-mikoto, Sokotsuwatatsumi-no-kami, Nakatsuwatatsumi-no-kami, and Uwatsuwatatsumi-no-kami.
▽ Stroking Rabbit, Breast Rock
There is also a 'Stroking Rabbit' that is said to grant wishes for recovery from illness or good fortune when stroked, and the 'Breast Rock,' where Toyotama-hime is said to have attached her breasts to the rock to raise her child.
The 'Ochichi-iwa' (Breast Rock) in the cave where the main hall is located is said to be where the mother, Toyotama-hime, left her breasts attached to the sacred cave for her child.
It is said that the main deity was raised on 'Ochichi-ame' (breast milk candy) made from the dripping spring water, instead of breast milk.
On your way back, be sure to buy some 'Ochichi-ame' at the rest area!
▽ 'Undama-nage' (Luck Ball Throwing), where you throw stones called Undama
It is said that if men throw with their left hand and women with their right hand while making a wish, and the stone lands in the center of the Kame-ishi (Turtle Rock), the wish will come true.
The round, unglazed balls, about the size of a 10-yen coin, are marked with the character for 'luck' (un). The Undama that land in the hole surrounded by the shimenawa rope shown in the next photo are collected daily, and there are 'Undama Amulets' made using these blessed stones.
You can try it for a 100-yen offering. You get 5 Undama per turn. It is said that until 1954, people threw coins instead of unglazed balls.
By the way, the rock is shaped like a turtle and is called the sacred Kame-ishi, which is said to be the rock that Toyotama-hime rode on.
▼ Places to visit together
▼ Travelogue
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