Kumano Hayatama-Taisha
The Kumano Taisha Hayatama (Japanese熊 野 速 玉 大 社, even just Shingu (新 宫) ) is a Shinto shrine at the mouth of the river near the town of Kumano Shingu in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
He is said to have been founded by Keiko - tennō and, with Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and two Buddhist temples Yong Jiang Kumano for, the southernmost of the holy places and pilgrimage routes in the Kii mountains, declared by UNESCO in 2004 list of World Heritage Sites have been recorded.
Until the late Kamakura period and every 33 years a complete new buildings of the shrine ( Sengu ) were performed, but were then discontinued due to lack of financial support from the government. Only in the Nanboku -chō period under Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu got the shrine again delivered substantial funding from the government.
The current buildings date from the year 1951. Shrine complex also belongs to the mountain Gongenyama with several holy sites, including the addition Shrine ( sessha ) Kamikura -jinja, where the Kami Amenokagoyama is worshiped. In the immediate vicinity of Kamikura -jinja is a huge rock called Gotobiki - iwa, which is also venerated as sacred. On the grounds there is also cry a sacred tree ( nagi -no- ki ) the nature Nageia nagi. He is said to have been planted here in 1159 and has a trunk diameter of 4.5 meters and a height of 17.6 meters.
Kami of the shrine are, inter alia, Toyo - kumo -nu and Uhi -ji ni and Ō -to -no- ji and Kuno -no- sa- Zuchi -no- kami (as in Nachi Taisha ) and Izanagi (under the name Hayatama -no- kami but, according to the Nihon Shoki an independent and born from the spit Kami Izanagi ). The shrine had as the other Kumano shrines also a long tradition of Buddhist interpretation of the revered gods, but was suppressed or abolished under the Shinbutsu - Bunri in the Meiji period.
The go- shintai is a wooden statue. Copies issued by this and are in the Kumano Nachi Taisha at the Museum of Kumano Taisha Hayatama. The shrine itself has over 3,000 Bunrei distributed to other shrines throughout the country.
A small side shrine is between the two main halls, it is the first three Kami ( Zoka - sanjin or zōkasanshin ) Amenominakanushi, Takamimusuhi, and dedicated Kamimusuhi that appear at the beginning of creation in the Kojiki.
The legendary Takakuraji is worshiped as kami in Takakura -jinja, of a sessha 1907.
A famous festival at the shrine is the Kumano Oto Matsuri. It is a fire festival that is (originally on 6 January ) celebrated with many torches on 6 February each year.