Chiriku Hachimangu Shrine

Chiriku Hachimangu stands in Shirakabe, Miyaki, in eastern Saga. Its chief deities are Emperor Ojin, Emperor Chuai and Empress Jingu, and it also enshrines Prince Naniwa, Prince Uji, Sumiyoshi Myojin and Takeuchi no Sukune. It styles itself the ichinomiya of Hizen Province, and in 2024 it marked 1,300 years since its founding.

According to its history, it was founded in the first year of Jinki (724). Mibu no Harunari, district chief of Yabu District in Hizen Province, is said to have received an oracle from the deity Hachiman and built the shrine. The place name Chiriku is linked to a tradition that the shrine was built where chestnut trees with a thousand roots grew. In the Heian period it became a branch shrine of Usa Hachimangu and was revered as one of its five branch shrines.

From the medieval period on it was heavily affected by war. Fire destroyed the buildings in 1228, and they burned several more times in the Sengoku period. Even so, Ryuzoji Masaie rebuilt the shrine in 1583, and afterward the Nabeshima clan donated shrine lands. In 1609 it received an imperial tablet from Emperor Go-Yozei. In modern times it was raised from village shrine to prefectural shrine, and in 1940 to a small national shrine, and after the war it became a Beppyo shrine. The title of ichinomiya of Hizen was once disputed with Yodohime Shrine.

In the precinct, besides the main hall in the irimoya style, the stone torii on the main approach catches the eye. This Hizen torii was dedicated by Nabeshima Naoshige, founder of the domain, and is designated a cultural property by Miyaki Town. The grounds hold an Okayu-do hall used in the porridge festival, and the auxiliary shrines Takeo Shrine, Hatomori Inari Shrine and a Tenmangu. Among its treasures are the jewels Kanju and Manju and a ceremonial fan of Emperor Kokaku, and a pair of scrolls showing the shrine's founding are a Saga Prefecture designated cultural property.

The best-known event is the Okayu Matsuri on March 15. Also called Okayu-dameshi, it divines the year's harvest from the state of the rice porridge and is counted among Japan's three great porridge festivals. Other events include the New Year's Day Saitan-sai, the Nagoshi Festival on August 1, the autumn grand festival on the Sunday nearest September 15 (popularly the Hojoya), the Mikoshi procession on the third Sunday of September and the Ohitaki fire rite on December 31. At the autumn festival, parishioners dedicate a processional furyu performance, and the lower shrine in Higashio district serves as the resting place for the portable shrine.

The basic route is to climb the stone steps from the torii on the main approach and pray at the worship hall. A visit takes about 30 minutes to an hour, and the quiet grounds are pleasant to stroll. Because it can be reached by Nishitetsu Bus from Kurume Station, it also suits a day trip of shrines and temples combined with Kurume or Tosu.

Nearby are Yoshinogari Historical Park (about 9 km) and Saga Castle (about 19 km). Seeing a Yayoi-period site and a shrine dating back to the Nara period on the same trip through eastern Saga shows the depth of the region's history.