User:Immanuelle/sandbox/History of Shinto Shrines in Hokkaido

This article provides an overview of Hokkaidō 's Shinto shrine and shrine administration, mainly from a historical perspective.

Like the History of Shinto Shrines in Okinawa it is relatively short compared to the History of Shinto in mainland Japan. So the establishment of shrines is much more recent than in other areas, yet it is firmly established making it a useful case study for the future Overseas Shinto, unlike the more colonial shrines of the Empire of Japan.

Before Shinbutsu bunri in the Meiji era, Shinto and Buddhism were Shinbutsu-shūgō, and it is not possible to clearly distinguish between Buddhist temple and shrines among the older temples and shrines. For example, many of the shrines now called Itsukushima Shrine were originally called Buddhist Benzaiten or Bentensha. The Waniguchi or bell of Wakizawayama Shrine, which will be described later, is engraved with an inscription referring to Pure Land Buddhism.

Here, shrines are those that existed after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, and those that existed before the separation of Shinto and Buddhism are also referred to as "shrines."

It culminated in the development of the modern History of Shinto shrines in Hokkaido separate from the Association of Shinto Shrines.

Hokkaido, Matsumae and Ezo
From the Sengoku Sengoku period through to Edo period, a territory ruled by Japanese people ( the Matsumae Domain ) was established in southern Hokkaido. From a historical perspective, there is also a view that Hokkaido should be divided into " Matsumae-chi ( Wajin-chi, Kuchi-Ezo, Kyu-kaichi)" and " Ezo-chi (Oku-Ezo, Shin-kaichi)". Although this way of dividing Hokkaido into regions is not widely accepted, it is useful for getting an overview of Hokkaido's history. Because the area controlled by the Matsumae clan changed significantly over time, care must be taken to determine exactly what is meant by "Matsumae territory," but here "Matsumae territory" generally refers to the Wajin area in southern Hokkaido, and the rest of the area is referred to in the narrow sense as "Ezo territory."

Hokkaido's cool climate makes it unsuitable for rice cultivation, so the Matsumae clan based its fiefdom mainly on income from seafood instead of the rice-based kokudaka system. This was done through trade with Ainu people, and trading posts called "basho" were established along the coast of Hokkaido. In the mid-Edo period, the system of monopolizing trade areas was institutionalized, whereby merchants could monopolize a certain location to conduct trade. Through these efforts, Japanese settlements began to appear in Ezo (in the narrow sense), and shrines were established in various places.

In the latter half of the Edo period, the shogunate attempted to take Tenryō in response to Russian Empire 's Territorial evolution of Russia. For this reason, the boundaries of the Matsumae Domain's territories, the Shogunate's territories, and Ezo (in the narrow sense) were frequently changed in the 19th century. During this period, samurai groups were dispatched to various parts of Hokkaido to guard Ezo, and they founded shrines.

During the Meiji period, pioneers began to settle in various parts of Hokkaido and built shrines. In time, these shrines were systematized from the perspective of State Shinto.

overview
It is believed that shrines were established by the Wajin in southern Hokkaido (formerly Wajin territory, formerly Kaichi) at the latest in the Middle Ages.

Many of these shrines were concentrated in fishing bases in southern Hokkaido, and were Shinbutsu-shūgō of Shinto and Vajrayana, with mountain worship and cape worship taking center stage. These shrines had their own unique culture, symbolized by the Matsumae Kagura dance, which distinguished them from the new shrines that were built during the later Hokkaido development period.

The early days
It is not clear when the Japanese first arrived in Ezo, but there are many ancient shrines along the southern coast of Hokkaido whose founding dates are unknown. One older theory is that remnants of Northern Fujiwara traveled to Oshima during Heian period and established a shrine there, but it is now widely believed that the shrine was built during Kamakura period or at the latest Muromachi period.

Below is a list of what are believed to be the oldest shrines in Hokkaido.


 * Ohi Shrine (Ooi) Former Dainichi Hall . A shrine located in Hokuto, Hokkaido in southern Hokkaido. It is known as the site of a fierce battle during the Battle of Hakodate. It has Waniguchi with the inscription " Kōhei Sansai (1060)" from the Heian period. There is a record that it was rebuilt in Meireki, but the exact date of its construction is unknown. If it was founded in 1060, it would be the oldest shrine in Hokkaido. However, some believe that this bell was made later, as its shape matches those of the late Edo period.
 * Funatama Shrine: A shrine located in Hakodate, southern Hokkaido. The Hōen Jichi Kenkoroku, a book written by Ichikawa Jūrō, a Shogunate official who explored Ezo during the late Edo period, reports that the temple was founded in 1135.
 * Katta Shrine in Noboribetsu, central Hokkaido.
 * Ubagami Daijingū is a shrine in Esashi, Hokkaido (Hiyama), southern Hokkaidō . According to the shrine's history, it was founded in 1216. There is a theory that it is of Ainu origin, in which case, although its age is unknown, it would be the oldest shrine in Ezo.
 * Wakumoto Shrine: A shrine in Shiriuchi, Hokkaido, Oshima, southern Hokkaido. It is said to have been in 1239. Gold dust can be found in the nearby Shiriuchi River.
 * Raiko Shrine: A shrine located in Shiriuchi, Hokkaido, Oshima, southern Hokkaido. It is said to have been founded in Kangen . The Toei Dochūki written by Mogami Tokunai states that there was a Waniguchi with an inscription dating from 1405. It is believed to be the oldest shrine in Hokkaido. Although it is not a shrine, there is also Onsen Yakushido in Chiuchi Town, which has a crocodile bell from the same year.
 * Wakizawayama Shrine: A shrine located in Hakodate, southern Hokkaido. It has a bell with the inscription dated Eikyō 11 (1439 or 1440). The village history of the former Ishizaki village states that it was founded in 1429. Wakizawayama Shrine fell into disuse during the Kansei era (late 18th century), but in Bunka 10 (1813 or 1814), the bell was discovered buried underground and donated to (Ishizaki) Hachiman Shrine in Kameo village, where it was displayed in front of the shrine. During Emperor Meiji pilgrimage in 1876, it was displayed as the oldest crocodile bell in Hokkaido. It is considered conclusive evidence that shrines existed in Ezo at least as early as the mid-15th century. It is currently owned by the Hakodate Museum as a cultural property designated by Hokkaido. ( Agency for Cultural Affairs/Cultural Heritage Online )
 * Sunatate Shrine: A shrine in Kaminokuni, Hokkaido, Hiyama, southern Hokkaido. In the summer of 1462, Kanshō Takeda Nobuhiro built a Vaishravana Hall in his castle, and renamed it Sunatate Shrine during the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in the Meiji era. It is mentioned in historical documents from the early modern period, such as " Kan'ei Shoka Keizuden " and " Shinra no Kiroku ."
 * Kaminokuni Hachiman Shrine: A shrine in Kaminokuni Town. In 1473, Takeda Nobuhiro, the founder of the Matsumae clan, established the shrine as a guardian deity at Katsuyama Date (now the site of Katsuyama Date, a nationally designated historic site), and named it Tategami (Tategami Hachiman Shrine). It is one of the Kaminokuni Sansha (along with Iozan Shrine and Sunatate Shrine, known as the Kaminokuni Sansha) The Genroku hall was built in 1699 and is one of the oldest shrine buildings still standing in Hokkaido.
 * Yaburai Tenmangu Shrine: A shrine in Hokuto City. The shrine is located on the site of Shige Bekkan, one of the Twelve Garrisons of Southern Hokkaido . It is said to have been built by Andō Morisue, who was defeated by Nanbu clan in 1443. There are many legends, including that it began as a shrine to the statue of Sugawara no Michizane, the deity who washed up on the Yabuki Coast in the 15th century.
 * Ōta Shrine (Setana): It is said to have been founded during the Kakitsu era (1441-1443). One of the five great sacred sites in southern Hokkaido. Its buildings are scattered over the steep mountainside overlooking the Sea of Japan.
 * Yamanoue Daijingū shrine is a shrine located in Hakodate, southern Hokkaido. It began during Ōan era (1368-1375) when a mountain ascetic named Fujibo enshrined a branch of the Ise Grand Shrine in Kameda Akagawa Village, which is now on the outskirts of Hakodate City.
 * Kameda Hachiman Shrine: A shrine located in Hakodate, southern Hokkaido . It is said that in 1390, Meitoku Kaga no Kami Moriyuki enshrined the Hachiman deity from Kehi Shrine, but there are various theories about the founding year, and it may have been built at the end of the Muromachi period.
 * Hakodate Hachiman Shrine: A shrine located in Hakodate, in southern Hokkaido. It is said that it began in Bun'an, when Kono Masamichi, the lord of Kameda County, built a castle in Motomachi, Hakodate, and enshrined Hachiman as the guardian deity of the castle in the southeastern corner of the castle grounds. It is a Sōja shrine that consolidates the kami of all other Hokkaido Shrines.
 * Ishizaki Hachiman Shrine: A shrine located in Hakodate, southern Hokkaido. The date of construction is unknown. It is said that the village began during Eikyō era (1429-1441) when the village's founder, Taira no Moriami, had deep reverence for the deity enshrined at Hachiman Shrine and performed the rituals there.
 * Sumiyoshi Shrine: A shrine located in Hakodate, southern Hokkaido. The date of its founding is unknown, but oral tradition holds that it was during the Kamakura period. It was rebuilt during An'ei era.
 * Tsukizaki Shrine: A shrine in Fukushima Town. The date of construction is unknown. There is a record that it was rebuilt in Meiō.
 * Tokuyama Daijingu: Shrine in Matsumae Town. The date of construction is unknown. In 1582, the feudal lord Kakizaki Tokihiro moved the shrine to Kuramachi and changed its name from Ise-do to Shinmei-sha.

Yakata Shrine and Hachiman Shrine
In theory, Ezo was under the jurisdiction of Ando clan, but in reality, various powerful clans had settled there and built castles (fortresses) there. They built a shrine in the mansion and called it the mansion god(館神, Tategami). At the castle, the war god Hachiman is enshrined. There are many such shrines in southern Hokkaido.

From the middle of the Edo period, Russian involvement in Ezo became a concern for the shogunate. The shogunate established Ongoku-bugyō as Tenryō, and ordered the various feudal domains in the Tohoku region to guard the area. Thus, the shrines built by the guard samurai who arrived in various remote areas of Hokkaido enshrined Hachiman as a war god, and later became Hachiman Shrines.

Shrine dedicated to Sea gods
Among the Japanese who traveled to Ezo from early on in search of seafood, some set up Watchtower along the coast and some even settled there. In the mid-Edo period, Matsumae domain institutionalized the bashoukeoisei and bashoukeoisei. Along the coast, mainly in southern Hokkaido, there are shrines dedicated to the gods of the sea and water, as well as gods and Buddhas of fishing and commerce. These shrines are thought to have developed from spontaneously growing smaller shrines rather than being the result of the transfer or incorporation of a spirit from another shrine.

The main ones are: Ebisu, Kotohira shrines, Benzaiten, Itsukushima Shrine, and Watatsumi.

Inari Shrine, God of Agriculture
The shogunate, wary of Russia, handed over part of Hokkaido to the shogunate in 1799 and began to Tenryō. At this time, rice cultivation also began to be attempted in Hokkaido. This project fell into disuse due to cool weather and poor harvests, but was resumed during the Ansei era (1854-1859) with some success. From the mid-Meiji period period onwards, rice cultivation was successful in the Ishikari and Iburi regions as well.

Furthermore, there was immigration from the Kansei and Bunka (late 18th century to early 19th century), with a particular increase in immigrants fleeing Tenpō famine during Tenpō (1830-1844).

Inari shrines were built by these agricultural immigrants, and many were built throughout southern and central Hokkaido.

Matsumae Domain
The Matsumae Domain was established in southern Hokkaido by the Kakizaki clan, who rose to prominence among the powerful clans. Founded by Kakizaki Tokihiro in 1582, Shinmei shrines was merged with many smaller shrines in the surrounding area to become Tokuyama Daijingu during the Meiji period. The Matsumae domain established a temple and shrine magistrate office to control religion. During the Edo period, Japanese people began to enter various parts Ezo through the Matsumae domain, and even excluding the area around Matsumae castle, there were 140 shrines and temples in Ezo.

Institutionalization of the Shinto Priesthood and the Shiratori Clan
In the Matsumae region, ascetic monks and other practitioners have been living since the Middle Ages, and the priesthood has been passed down hereditarily. At Fukuyama Castle, a Shinmei Shrine (later known as Matsumae Hachiman Shrine) was built to protect the castle, and its chief priests took the name " Shiratori " for generations. The Shiratori family was appointed as the head shrine priest of the Matsumae domain, and through the, who were the Shinto priests, they obtained an official position in the Imperial Court and became the head of the Shinto priests in the Matsumae region. There are few surviving historical documents related to the Shiratori family, but the Shiratori Family Diary, written by successive chief priests, describes events from 1788 to 1862. The most influential shrines in the Matsumae castle town, including Shinmei Shrine, were collectively known as the "Seven Matsumae Shrines." The Seven Matsumae Shrines are also depicted in the Matsumae Esashi Screen, which was painted during the Horeki era.

In Matsumae, under the leadership of the Shiratori clan, priests and rituals were organized, and a system of rituals, represented by Matsumae Kagura, was institutionalized. On the other hand, shrines to sea and water gods that appeared "spontaneously " in various parts of Ezo were outside of this system.

Matsumae Kagura
Matsumae Kagura is a kind of Kagura dance done in southern Hokkaido. It is customarily performed at the end of rituals at shrines in southern Hokkaido and is essential for the priests of Matsumae. It has more of a religious ritual character than a dengaku dance.

Its origin is unclear, but according to legend it was first performed in 1662 during the Kanbun (era) It was protected by Enpō feudal lords of the Matsumae domain, and in 1681 the Matsumae domain created a set of rules for the great religious rites.

In the Hiyama region it was also called "Esashi Kagura" and in the Shiribeshi region it was called "Oshima Kagura," but today it is generally referred to as "Matsumae Kagura". It has been designated as an intangible cultural property of Hokkaido.

Meiji Period
When Meiji period Higashikuze Michitomi, who was appointed as List of governors of Hokkaido Prefecture in September 1869, traveled to Hokkaido, Emperor Meiji ordered Kunitama, Ōkuninushi, and Sukunabikona to be enshrined there as Kunitama. A Hokkaido shrine ceremony was held, and a three-sided shinto mirror was entrusted to Higashikuze Michiyoshi by Daijō-kan.

It was Shima Yoshitake who was actually appointed to Sapporo as Higashikuze Michitomi's representative, and it was Shima who came up with the plan to establish Kaitaku Shinchosaisha (present-day Hokkaido Shrine). Although Shima was soon dismissed, the construction of the new shrine proceeded largely according to Shima's plan, and the shrine was renamed Hokkaidō Shrine and Sengū in 1871. The Hokkaido Development Commission announced that June 15th would be the annual festival day, and that all residents of Hokkaido were to take time off work on that day to visit and pay homage to the shrine. (For details, see Hokkaidō Shrine#History .)

In 1873, Sapporo Shrine was elevated to the rank of Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines and a branch of the Office of Japanese Classics Research was established there, making it the State Shinto in Hokkaido. This is the first shrine in Hokkaido to be dedicated to the national anthem. Shrines before this time were established by samurai and local residents for their own religious beliefs, and in this respect they are distinguished. The founding of Sapporo Shrine in the new Hokkaido region later served as a model for overseas shrines in Taiwan, Sakhalin, and the Korean Peninsula.

Settler Shrines
During the Meiji period, settlement in various parts of Hokkaido was encouraged, and group settlements of several dozen households, sometimes exceeding a hundred, were actively undertaken from villages all over the country. Many of them built shrines in their hometowns to worship their ancestral spirits and local deities in the places they immigrated to.
 * Ebetsu shrine (Ebetsu) - Settlers from Kumamoto Prefecture enshrined Katō Kiyomasa.
 * Iyahiko Shrine ( Sapporo ) - Settlers from Niigata Prefecture enshrined a branch of Yahiko Shrine.
 * Maeda Shrine ( Kyōwa, Hokkaido ) - Former Kaga samurai who settled here enshrined Maeda Toshiie.

God of the Mines
Gold dust mining has been carried out in Hokkaido since the Middle Ages, and when development began, mines were established in various places. In particular, countless coal mines were developed in the Sorachi region, and shrines were established to worship Ōyamatsumi as the god of these coal mines. Horonai Shrine, founded in 1880, is considered to be the first of these.

Shinmei and the Three Deities of Development
In areas where people from different hometowns gathered together, or when shrines were merged due to the shrine reforms described below, the Shinto god Amaterasu came to be worshiped as the goddess that oversaw all the deities. When Sapporo Shrine began to worship the Three Deities of Development, other shrines seeking new official recognition followed suit and began to worship the Three Deities of Development as their new chief deities. Generally, it was forbidden to send a branch of a deity from a government-sponsored shrine, but in the case of Sapporo Shrine alone, a branch was permitted as a "special deity," and the three pioneering gods came to be enshrined in the newly developed area.

Hokkaido Shrine Reform
When Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines was established in 1871, Hokkaido also began investigating shrines within the prefecture in accordance with this system, and separated Shinto and Buddhism, and carried out consolidation and abolition. This is called the Hokkaido Shrine Reform. At the time, most of Hokkaido was undeveloped, and the shrine reform was mainly carried out in the southern part of the island. In 1875, the Shrine Reform Act began, which led to the official recognition of shrines and determined the status of Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines and Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines.

The number of shrines in Hokkaido was distributed with 370 shrines in Hakodate Prefecture, 150 shrines in Sapporo Prefecture, and 32 shrines in Nemuro Prefecture. This meant that two-thirds of all the shrines in Hokkaido were concentrated in southern Hokkaido. However, out of the 370 shrines in Hakodate Prefecture, 203 were unofficial "miscellaneous shrines," whereas Sapporo Prefecture had 36 unofficial shrines out of its 150. Many of these small shrines in southern Hokkaido were significantly reduced later through consolidation.

The certification of shrine status at that time generally followed the following trend:


 * Gosha - Major shrines built in fishing villages in the early modern period (49 shrines)
 * Village shrines - Central shrines built in various regions from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period (231 shrines)

Shigemasa Kikuchi
A person who played a major role in the reform of Hokkaido Shrine was Kikuchi Shigetaka, who was the de facto first chief priest of Sapporo Shrine.

Kikuchi Shigetaka was originally from the and was adopted as the chief priest of Hakodate Hachiman Shrine. When Hakodate was transferred from the Matsumae Domain to the Tokugawa shogunate, Kikuchi Shigetaka began to claim that Hakodate Hachiman Shrine was the main shrine of Hakodate. During the Battle of Hakodate, he cooperated with the government forces, organized a reserve army, and achieved success. He received a medal and gained a foothold in the new government's shrine policy in Hokkaido. He also succeeded in breaking away from the old system of the Matsumae Domain and the Shiratori family.

Kikuchi Shigetaka became a Shinto priest and a member of the Hokkaido Development Commission, and was also appointed as a priest at Sapporo Shrine. He went to Tokyo and negotiated with the Ministry of Shinto Affairs regarding the overall administration of shrines in Hokkaido, and the reform of Hokkaido shrines in the early Meiji period was carried out under Kikuchi's guidance. Among these, Hakodate Hachiman Shrine was promoted to a prefectural shrine, while many shrines in southern Hokkaido were merged or closed.

Southern Hokkaido
In Matsumae in 1868, shrines that combined Shinto and Buddhist practices, such as Shogun Jizo and Oshima Daimyojin, were disposed of. After 1871, in southern Hokkaido, where there were many old and syncretic temples and shrines, the removal of Buddhist statues and the renaming of shrines and deities was actively carried out based on Shinbutsu bunri. However, this did not lead to the uproar of Haibutsu Kishaku ) that occurred in the mainland. In Esashi, Buddhist statues at shrines were burned and small shrines with unclear origins were abandoned, but no major disturbances occurred.

The southern Hokkaido region, home to many ancient shrines, was the first in Hokkaido to have local shrines and village shrines designated as such. However, as the process of designating shrines across Hokkaido progressed, the consistency of the designation of shrines in the southern Hokkaido region began to become an issue, with village shrines having more parishioners than local shrines. As a result, in 1875, the status classification of local and village shrines under the Hakodate branch office was revised. It was decided that shrines in areas with a branch office of the Hokkaido Prefectural Government, a large port, or well-maintained shrine buildings would be designated as gosha, while all other shrines would be classified as murasha. The status of shrines in southern Hokkaido was finally determined in October 1876. The status of Hakodate Hachiman Shrine, which had called itself the "chief guardian deity" since the Edo period and which the Hokkaido Development Commission had treated as a "venerated shrine," also needed to be reviewed. For the time being, it was made into a prefectural shrine, and in 1877 it was made into a national shrine.

In Hokkaido, the compilation of shrine details was delayed due to geographical reasons. It was not until 1879 that a detailed list of shrines throughout the prefecture was finally completed. However, there were many small Mugan shrines that were not included in this list.

The number of shrines continued to increase throughout Hokkaido, but in southern Hokkaido the number has decreased due to consolidation. For example, in the ten years between 1906 (Meiji 39) and 1916 (Taisho 5), the number of officially recognized shrines in the Hakodate branch office decreased from 167 to 107. During the same period, the number of companies in Hiyama Subprefecture decreased from 141 to 42. Many of these were unranked shrines or village shrines. Outside of southern Hokkaido, for example in the Sorachi region, the number of companies has actually increased from 19 to 33.

The uniqueness of Hokkaido
Nationwide, the total number of shrines was halved between the Meiji and Showa periods, but in Hokkaido, it actually increased.

Pioneer immigrants and the proliferation of Muga Shrines
In 1885, the Shrine and Temple Military Affairs Section was established within the Hokkaido Prefectural Government Office and was put in charge of shrine administration.

Immigrants came to Hokkaido from all over Japan, but in many cases they settled in groups based on their place of origin. They tended to worship the local deities of their hometowns in the newly developed lands, and even today in Hokkaido shrines originating from various regions can be seen all over the country. Furthermore, in areas where people from different regions settled, they established shrines to worship the Shinmei shrines Amaterasu, as well as shrines to worship the three pioneering gods, whose spirits were divided from Sapporo Shrine. When people first settled in the wilderness, they built simple shrines by placing a Shinto altar on the stump of a large felled tree, erecting a pole with the name of the enshrined deity inscribed on it, and setting up a simple Torii. These were sometimes called "Stump Shrines" or "Pole Shrines".

Such unofficial shrines were called " Mugajinja" (Mugan Shrines ). The proliferation of Mugan Shrines was completely contrary to the national policy of merging and abolishing small shrines to build a system of prestigious shrines. However, at the frontier of the settlement, it often took several days to travel to an officially recognized shrine, and settlers who worked with their entire families to settle in the area could not afford to be away for several days to make a visit. As a result, in Hokkaido, rather than reducing the number of small shrines, there was a constant stream of proposals to establish new shrines in various places. Taking these circumstances into consideration, the Hokkaido Prefectural Government did not crack down much on Mugan Shrine.

Hokkaido Prefectural Government's Shrine Administration
In 1891, the authority to officially recognize shrines was transferred from Home Ministry Shrine Bureau to the Hokkaido Prefectural Government. Until then, permission had to be obtained from the Ministry of Home Affairs each time, but now Hokkaido was able to decide how to handle shrines. This was something special that was limited to Hokkaido in the whole country.

In 1897, a new Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines was established below village shrines and the standards for official recognition were relaxed. For this reason, there are many temples and shrines in Hokkaido that were "officially recognized" and "founded" between the 1880s and 1897s. In 1901, the " Principle of one shrine per town and village " was established, and in the following year, in 1902, the "Regulations for Shrines and Temples" were established, laying out the standards for officially recognized shrines.

One shrine in each village
The shrine located in the center of each town or village is designated as an officially recognized shrine. The other shrines were left as unofficial shrines and were to be worshiped by local priests.

Based on the policy of one shrine per town and village, unofficial shrines in various locations also began to appoint priests. By the end of the Meiji period, the number had increased to about 550 shrines and 100 people, and the Hokkaido Association of Shinto Priests was organized.

Temple and shrine regulations
The February 1902 (Meiji 35) regulations for shrines and temples stipulated the following criteria for official recognition :


 * Temple grounds - over 1000m2
 * Shrine - 20 sqm or more
 * Permanent capital - 500 yen
 * Or the actual income from the real estate owned is 75 yen or more per year
 * Number of believers - 100 or more parishioners or 300 or more believers

These standards served as a guideline for the development of new Mugabe shrines across the country in order to make them official shrines. In 1906, the government issued guidelines entitled "Regarding the Abolition and Merger of Shrines, Temples, and Buddhist Halls", instructing areas without officially recognized shrines to reorganize non-recognized shrines and meet the requirements for official recognition. The maintenance of shrine grounds, shrine buildings, and property, as well as the number of parishioners and believers, were required to be at a level appropriate to the shrine's rank, and heads of households, towns, and villages were required to visit shrines in each area to check this.

As a result of these factors, the number of shrines in Hokkaido had decreased by about 30% by the early Taisho period. However, the reductions were mostly in the southern Hokkaido region, with a decrease of 159 shrines in southern Hokkaido alone, compared to a decrease of 161 shrines in Hokkaido as a whole. (There have been new shrines added, so it's not the case that only two shrines have been lost outside of southern Hokkaido.)

The system of offerings to the gods
In 1906, the system of providing sacred offerings was introduced. This is a system whereby public funds are disbursed to shrines designated by the prefectural governor on the occasion of shrine festivals. Funds for official and national shrines came from the national treasury, while funds for prefectural and village shrines came from local governments. In Hokkaido, prefectural shrines received donations from the Hokkaido local budget, while local shrines received contributions from wards and towns and villages. In 1906, 10 yen was paid to prefectural shrines, 7 yen to township shrines, and 5 yen to village shrines. This was not automatically paid to all town and village shrines; even among those ranked as town or village shrines, some received public funds and some did not. For example, in Hokkaido in 1916, the percentage of shrines to which public funds were actually spent was prefectural shrines (100%), local shrines (60%), and village shrines (28%). In the case of Sapporo Shrine (a Kanpei Taisha shrine), the donation in 1925 was 3,283 yen.

Taisho period
As the Taisho era began and development work progressed to a certain extent, it was thought that Hokkaido's unique characteristics had subsided. In response to this, shrine regulations, which previously applied to all prefectures across the country, were revised to include Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Shrine Regulations were established as detailed rules for the shrine.

Strengthening state control
In 1937, the Hokkaido Association of Shinto Priests developed into the Hokkaido Shrine Association (different from the Hokkaido Shrine Association described below). As the wartime system was further strengthened and the Dai-Nippon Shinto Association was established, the temple became its Hokkaido branch in 1942.

The shrine has been used to pray for long-lasting military fortune and to promote national prestige, but in 1943, as the war situation worsened, an air-raid shelter was constructed within the shrine grounds.

National and Imperial Shrines
In 1945, the Hokkaido Prefectural Government established a policy to designate Kamikawa Shrine (Asahikawa City), Sumiyoshi Shrine (Otaru City), and Hachiman Shrine (Muroran City) as national shrines. However, the end of the war meant this was not possible.

Gokoku Shrine
After the Boshin War, Gokoku Shrines were built all over the country to honor those who died in war. In particular, shrines where rituals are held at government expense, such as those held by the Ministry of War, are called Kansai Shokonsha, and in Hokkaido, the Shokonsha in Hakodate, Matsumae, and Esashi are examples of this. On the other hand, shrines where rituals are held at private expense are called private shrines, and the shrines in Asahikawa and Sapporo are examples of this type.

In 1939, all Shokonsha shrines across the country were renamed Gokoku Shrines. Generally, Gokoku shrines are funded with government funds and one shrine is set up for each prefecture, but because Hokkaido is so large, three shrines are designated as an exception. Hokkaido Gokoku Shrine, Sapporo Gokoku Shrine, and Hakodate Gokoku Shrine were designated as Gokoku Shrines equivalent to prefectural shrines. On the other hand, Matsumae (Fukuyama) Gokoku Shrine and Esashi Gokoku Shrine, which are equivalent to village shrines, became non-designated Gokoku Shrines.

When State Shinto was dismantled by the Shinto Directive of Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, shrines throughout the country organized themselves into a new religious organization, the Association of Shinto Shrines. The Hokkaido Shrine Association was also formed in Hokkaido. Shrines in southern Hokkaido have also organized the Hokkaido Shrine Association.

Postwar
Among the officially recognized shrines, those that do not belong to these groups are called independent shrines. In addition, most of the shrines are unofficial shrines. According to the 1999 Hokkaido Shrine Association Journal, the number of shrines in each area is as follows:


 * Hokkaido Shrine Association 604 shrines
 * Hokkaido Shrine Association 61 companies
 * 69 independent companies
 * Unofficial Shrines 1925
 * *This does not include shrines in the Kuril Islands or Sakhalin.

Hokkaido Jinja-chō
In 1946, following the Shinto Directive, the Dai Nippon Shinto Association was dissolved. As a result, the traditional shrine status was abolished and each shrine was to become an individual religious organization with no hierarchy of superiority or inferiority. However, shrines concerned about the disruption of the traditional order in the Shinto world came together and founded Association of Shinto Shrines. Most of the shrines that had previously belonged to the Dai Nippon Shinto Shrine Association participated in this event. In Hokkaido, the Hokkaido Shrine Association was initially organized by 539 shrines, and currently has approximately 600 affiliated companies, accounting for 80% of the Shinto religious corporations in Hokkaido.

Hokkaido Jinja Kyōkai
The shrines in the southern Hokkaido region, especially on Oshima Island, which were originally different in nature from the shrines in the newly developed areas established by settlers, did not join the Hokkaido Shrine Association. Records from that time gave the following reasons:


 * Even if an organization were created that covered the entire Hokkaido prefecture, it would be difficult to gather everyone together to hold a meeting.
 * It is inconvenient to contact the central government via the Sapporo branch. At the time, travel to and from Tokyo was by boat and train, and it seemed completely illogical to travel from Hakodate, at the southern tip of Hokkaido, to Sapporo, and then via Hakodate again on the way to Tokyo.
 * In any case, it would be necessary to establish a branch in southern Hokkaido as well, which would require a burden on three organizations: the Association of Shinto Shrines, the Hokkaido Shinto Shrine Association, and the Southern Hokkaido Branch of the Association of Shinto Shrines. However, if the southern Hokkaido branch were to become independent, only two would be necessary.

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Shrines in southern Hokkaido (mainly those in the Oshima region) do not join the Hokkaido Shrine Council, but instead established their own organization, the Hokkaido Shrine Association. As of 2006, 61 shrines are members.

Separation of Church and State
In 1964, Sapporo Shrine was renamed Hokkaido Shrine when Emperor Meiji was enshrined there. The annual festival on June 15th was held as the Sapporo Festival, but in the 1960s, there was a movement to question the donations collected from neighborhood associations in the city for the Hokkaido Shrine festival, as they were considered to be essentially compulsory.

On the annual holiday of June 15th, public schools in Sapporo were closed or only held half-day classes as the Sapporo Festival was held. Some people objected to this from the perspective of separation of church and state. June 15th is still considered Hometown Day, and public schools have a half-day school day today.

In 2010, the ruling in the Sunagawa separation of church and state lawsuit was made, attracting much attention.

Other websites

 * Hokkaido Shrine Association website
 * Hokkaido Shrine | Sapporo Festival