Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine

Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine stands in Ichinomiya-cho, south of central Takayama. It is a shrine listed in the Engishiki, ranked as a small shrine, and the Ichinomiya (chief shrine) of the former Hida Province. It venerates Mt. Kurai (1,529 m) to the southwest as its sacred mountain, and an inner shrine stands on the summit of the mountain, which lies on the watershed between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Mt. Kurai is also regarded as a place of legends about the birth of Japan.

There are 15 enshrined deities, collectively called "Minashi no Okami." The chief deity is Mitoshi no Okami, and the accompanying deities include Onamuchi no Mikoto, Emperor Ojin, Emperor Jimmu and Amaterasu Omikami. The auxiliary and minor shrines in the precincts enshrine the 88 local guardian deities of Hida Province, and the shrine is regarded as the general guardian shrine of Hida.

The date of its founding is unknown. A record from the reign of Emperor Seiwa mentions it being granted the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade, and the Engishiki lists it as a small shrine and as the Ichinomiya of Hida. In the Kamakura period it was called "Minashi Daibosatsu" and served by shrine monks, but its rituals lapsed amid the wars of the Sengoku period and nearby temples managed it for a time. It came under Yoshida Shinto in 1692 (Genroku 5). During the Ohara Disturbance of 1773 (Anei 2), the shrine became a meeting place, and a monument reading "Site of the Great Ichinomiya Assembly of the Ohara Disturbance" still stands in front of the torii. In 1871 it was ranked as a national small shrine, and from 1874 to 1877 the chief priest was Shimazaki Masaki, the father of the writer Shimazaki Toson, whose poem monument stands in the grounds. From August 22 to September 19, 1945, the sacred object of Atsuta Jingu was temporarily evacuated here.

The first thing you see in the precincts is the great cedar beside the torii, said to be about 800 years old and designated a Natural Monument of Gifu Prefecture. The grounds also hold the votive horse "Inekui no Kuroma," said to be the work of Hidari Jingoro. Its distinguishing feature is that its eyes are not painted, and it is said to be effective in prayers for rain. The ema hall is a cultural property designated by Takayama City, and the deity statues are cultural properties designated by Gifu Prefecture.

Among its festivals, the Hida Living Hina Festival on April 3 is well known. Begun in 1952 (Showa 27) to pray for the prosperity of sericulture and agriculture, it features nine "living hina" dolls chosen from across Hida. In the annual festival, made up of the Shigaku-sai on May 1 and the Hongaku-sai on May 2, a procession of more than 500 people about 1 km long moves from the shrine to the resting place, and doburoku (unfiltered sake), whose brewing was permitted in 1932 (Showa 7), is served to worshippers.

The shrine is about a 7 to 8 minute walk from Hida-Ichinomiya Station on the JR Takayama Line, so it is easy to reach by train. By car, it is about 16.5 km from Takayama-Nishi IC on the Takayama-Kiyomi Road (Chubu-Jukan Expressway), and there is a free parking lot for 100 cars. Because it lies south of Takayama's town center, you can pair it with sightseeing in town and set aside time to touch Hida's old faith.