Hachiman
Hachiman (Japanese八 幡) is a popular Japanese god who is worshiped in both Shinto and Japanese Buddhism. In the almost 1200 -year history of his worship is thus presented in a particularly incisive measurements of the typical for the Japanese religious history kami - Buddhist syncretism ( Shinbutsu Shugo ).
Hachiman is very often identified with the legendary ojin - tennō, so often to be worshiped in his shrines also the parents of ojin - tennō, the Chuai - tennō and Jingū - Kogo, or his son, the Nintoku - tennō. The exact origins of this identification are not clear, there exists a multitude of different theories on.
History
Originally Hachiman was a native to the western main island of Kyushu God. Center of his cult was especially the Usa Hachiman- gū in United States, as well as five other shrines ( gosho betsugū ): the Daibu Hachiman- gū in the province Chikuzen, the Chiriku Hachiman- gū in the province of Hizen, the Fujisaki Hachiman- gū in the Higo Province, the Nitta Shrine ( Nitta -jinja ) in the province of Satsuma and the shō Hachiman- gū in the province Ōsumi.
However, he was already in the Nara period (ca. eighth century) fast nationwide integrated into the Buddhist beliefs. During the construction of the Buddhist temple Todai -ji in the year 745 in the former capital of Japan, Heijo - kyō ( Nara ), to a report from the High Priestess of the Shrine of Usa, Oga no Ason Morime who had traveled to the period after Heijo - kyō, Hachiman have been helping the side. In the year 781 was Hachiman (护 国 霊 験 威力 神通German大 菩萨, The country beschützender, miraculous, powerful large - Bodhisattva ) awarded by the imperial court of the title Gokoku reigen Iriki jintsū Daibosatsu. Artistic representations of the following time usually show him as a Buddhist monk, and Shinto shrines to Hachiman acted increasingly often as a protective shrines ( chinjusha ) for nearby Buddhist temple (eg for the Daian -ji, the Todai -ji, the Yakushi- ji and the Tō -ji).
From the late 11th or early 12th century Hachiman became the clan Kami ( Ujigami ) of the noble Minamoto or Genji. In this role, he was rather god of war, in the presentation were Buddhist elements into the background or were omitted. In the following years he became the general patron saint of the warrior class ( bushi ) during the Japanese middle ages.
On the 24th day of the fourth month of the year 1868, the government issued in the operated during the Meiji Restoration Shinbutsu - Bunri ( Separation of Shinto and Buddhism) instructions and use the Buddhist term for Daibosatsu Hachiman at the shrines Iwashimizu Hachiman gū Usa Hachiman- gū prohibited. Instead, he should (幡 大 八 神; "big Kami Hachiman ") as the Hachiman daijin to these sanctuaries henceforth be known.
Shrines
The popularity of Hachiman cult shows in the fact that he is revered in about half of the approximately 90,000 registered Shinto shrines in Japan. Of these, as they have received a corresponding Bunrei, approximately 30,000 branch shrines of Iwashimizu Hachiman gū (such as the Tsurugaoka Hachiman- gū ) and 15,000 branch shrines of the Usa Hachiman- gū Together with the Hakozaki - gū these are the most popular Hachiman shrines (usually Hachiman- gū (八 幡 宫) below).
Probably the most important festivals ( matsuri ) in honor Hachiman take place on or about 15 September each year. An exception is the 1st of January. In the early morning of that day the Tennō proves the Iwashimizu Hachiman gū among other shrines and imperial mausoleums worship before he attends the New Year's ceremony ( Saitan -sai ).