User:Immanuelle/sandbox/Itakiso Faith

五十猛神

Isotakeru-no-kami (五十猛神), also read as Itakeru-no-mikoto, is a kami and the son of Susanoo and the god of forests and forestry he is worshipped in Itakiso shrine and at Takase Shrine

He is only called Isotakeru in the Nihon Shoki. He is called Oyabiko in the Kojiki.

According to the Nihon Shoki, Susanoo and his son Isotakeru had been driven out of the land of Takamagahara and had landed in Silla. However, they did not like that land and said it was inhospitable so they travelled by boat to Izumo. There, Susanoo handed over the seeds of the tree he had brought from Takamagahara to Isotakeru and ordered him to sow the seeds all over Japan.

Isotakeru, along with his younger sisters Oyatsuhime and Tsutomuhime, began to sow seeds all over Japan, turning the entire country into forests, finally arriving in the "country of trees", or Kii Province..

A different version of the legend suggests that Susanoo, envious of the prosperity of the land of Han, extracted numerous hairs from his body, which he transformed into a vast assortment of trees. This act was intended to bestow the wealth of timber upon the people. Following this event, his three offspring, Isotakeru, Oyatsuhime, and Tsumatsuhime, took it upon themselves to scatter the seeds of these trees throughout Japan. Subsequently, they settled in the region of Kii. Different hairs from different parts of his body produced different species.

Much later in the Kojiki during the story of the Hare of Inaba he protected Onamuchi when he was being pursued by his eighty brothers.

Itakiso shrine was originally located on what is the site of Hinokuma Shrine but during the reign of Emperor Suinin was relocated to a place called "Anomori" near its current location, and then relocated again to its present site in 713.

Enshrined kami
The primary kami enshrined at Watatsu Jinja and Itakiso Shrine are: These are all the children of Susanoo and the kami of the faith
 * Isonotakeru no mikoto (五十猛命), god shipbuilding and sailing.
 * Oyatsuhime no Mikoto (大屋都比賣命), younger sister of Isotakeru, goddess of horticulture
 * Tsumatsuhime no Mikoto (都麻津比賣命), younger sister of Isotakeru, goddess of lumber and construction

The name "Ōyatsuhime" includes "ya," which refers to buildings, indicating that she is a goddess of trees and also of structures made from trees, such as houses and ships. The name "Tsumatsuhime" includes "tsuma," which means timber used for building.

Watatsu Shrine
Watatsu Shrine (度津神社) is a Shinto shrine in the Hamochiiioka neighborhood of the city of Sado, Niigata. It is the ichinomiya of former Sado Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on the April 23. Located on the island of Sado in the Sea of Japan, the history of Watatsu Shrine is uncertain, as the shrine was completely destroyed by a flood during the Kan'ei era (1624-1643) of the Edo Period. According to shrine tradition, it was founded by the semi-legendary Kofun period Emperor Chūai (reigned 192–200 AD). Its name appears in the Engishiki records compiled in 927 AD, but only as a minor shrine. It was destroyed by a flood in 1470, and rebuilt by the Honma clan, who were rulers of Sado island, in 1472. The shrine appears to have been destroyed repeatedly by floods in 1493, 1533 and 1593, and was merged in 1493 with a nearby Hachiman shrine. It is only mentioned as an ichinomiya in 1678 with the publication the Shokoku Ichinomiya Pilgrimage Record (諸国一宮巡詣記) by Shinto scholar Tachibana Mitsuyoshi. Following the Meiji restoration, with the establishment of State Shinto in 1872, the shrine was classified as a National shrine, 3rd rank (国幣小社).

The enshrined kami is Isonotakeru no mikoto (五十猛命), the son of Susanoo-no-Mikoto, who is said to have taught people shipbuilding and how to use ships, and his two sisters  Oyahitsuhime no mikoto (大屋津姫命) and Tsumatsuhime no mikoto (抓津姫命)

Each year in late-April, horseback archery (yabusame) takes place at the branch shrine in the town of Hamochi.

The shrine is located about 15 minutes by car from Ogi Port.

Itakiso Shrine
Itakiso Shrine (伊太祁曽神社) is a Shinto shrine in the Itakiso neighborhood of the city of Wakayama in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the three shrines claiming the title of ichinomiya of former Kii Province.

The origins of Itakiso Jinja are unknown. It first appears in the documentary record in an entry in the Shoku Nihongi dated 702 AD under Emperor Monmu. The shrine was originally located on what is the site of Hinokuma Shrine but during the reign of Emperor Suinin was relocated to a place called "Anomori" near its current location, and then relocated again to its present site in 713. According to the Nihon Shoki, Susanoo and his son Isotakeru had been driven out of the land of Takamagahara and had landed in Silla. However, they did not like that land, and travelled by boat to Izumo. There, Susanoo handed over the seeds of the tree he had brought from Takamagahara to Isotakeru and ordered him to sow the seeds all over Japan. Isotakeru, along with his younger sisters Oyatsuhime and Tsutomuhime, began to sow seeds all over Japan, turning the entire country into forests, finally arriving in the "country of trees", or Kii Province. In the early Heian period Engishiki record, the Itakiso Jinja is listed as a Myojin Taisha (名神大社) and is called the ichinomiya of the province.

The shine is listed in the Engishiki dated 927 AD as a shrine of the highest rank, and is stated to be the ichinomiya of Kii Province. From the Muromachi period, the shrine developed a close relationship with Negoro-ji and the Shingi-SHingon sect of Buddhism. Following the Meiji restoration,I it was listed as a National Shrine, 2nd rank (国幣中社) under the Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines of State Shinto in 1885. It was promoted to a    Imperial Shrine, 2nd rank (官幣中社) in 1918.

The shrine is located a five-minute walk from Idakiso Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line.