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Kikuchi Shrine Adventure Part 3: Kitamiya Aso Shrine

5/10/2017

Name: Kitamiya Aso Shrine (北宮阿蘇神社)
Enshrined Deity: Hayamikatama-No-Mikoto
Address: 〒861-1305 Kumamoto-ken, Kikuchi-shi, Kitamiya, 64

~~ NOTE: This is part 3 in a 5 part series of my adventures around Kumamoto on January 22nd. ~~

The stamp for Kitamiya Shrine.

Kitamiya Aso Shrine was built in 1375. It is said that the 17th head of the Kikuchi Clan, Kikuchi Taketomo, solicited donations for the building of this shrine.

The shrine itself still holds the war fan of the Seisei Shogun (the appointed protector of Kyushu) Prince Kanenaga. He was the song of Emperor Go-Daigo, the head of the Southern Court's forces in Kyushu, and the one that Kikuchi Takemitsu gave his life to protect. And who was Takemitsu? He was the 15th head of the Kikuchi Clan and the grandfather of Taketomo (who probably built the shrine). Read more about it here in my post about Kikuchi Shrine! They're REALLY IMPORTANT PEOPLE in Kumamoto!

The main enshrined deity is Hayamikatama-No-Mikoto. He was the first regional administrator (kuni no miyatsuko) of Aso and the great-grandson of the mythical first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu. Hayamikatama-No-Mikoto is one of the three deities enshrined at Aso Shrine, which he was in fact ordered to build by the Emperor.

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Kikuchi Shrine Adventure Part 2: Myorenji

5/9/2017

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Name: Myorenji Temple (妙蓮寺)
Address: 〒861-1331 Kumamoto-ken, Kikuchi-shi, Waifu, Tatemachi 247

~~ NOTE: This is part 2 in a 5 part series of my adventures around Kumamoto on January 22nd. ~~

Nichiren Shu Symbol

The Gohonzon scroll worshiped by Nichiren Shu Buddhists.

It's certainly a lot more difficult to find information about small Buddhist temples. You see one of the main differences between a temple (Buddhist) and a shrine (Shinto) is that shrines are always open and are structured to really welcome anyone to come and prey at any time. Temples, on the other hand, are often literally closed up and are more designed for true Buddhists to come and prey. So people don't often go exploring these smaller temples for fun and there isn't as much information available.

So I've done my best to find information about this temple, but there isn't much. The temple used to have a website, as various other places have referenced and linked to it, but the temple website no longer works.

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The temple was originally founded in 1594, but it was only a small meditation hall at first. It wasn't until 1631 that it began to transform into a full temple. Unfortunately, as often happens with wooden buildings in Japan, the temple caught fire and burned down. So in 1672 it was rebuilt at its current location. You can still find a monument to the original temple at the Shisui Machi Board of Education. Cool!

In 1894, fire once against ravaged the temple and the main hall was burned down. So the temple was rebuilt for the last time in 1897. And so stands the current building (probably).

The temple itself represents the Nichiren School of Buddhism. If you know anything about Nichiren Shu (not to be confused with Nichiren Shoshu), know that they LOVE the Lotus Sutra. It's their favorite thing. Nuff said.

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Kikuchi Shrine Adventure Part 1: Kikuchi Shrine

5/8/2017

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Sometimes I just like to go on adventures and see as many shrines and temples as I can in one visit. But, it's a little crazy to throw five shrines/temples all together into one post. So I will write these as five separate posts, one for each location I visited. Okay, let's get started!

Name: Kikuchi Jinja
Enshrined Deity: Kikuchi Taketoki, Kikuchi Takeshige, Kikuchi Takemitsu
Address: 〒830-0037 Fukuoka-ken, Kurume-shi, Suwanomachi

~~ NOTE: This is part 1 in a 5 part series of my adventures around Kumamoto on January 22nd. ~~

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Ara is a kimono enthusiast and student of Japanese culture and history. Currently they're working as an English ALT in Yamaga City, Japan. Follow along for a window into daily life in a small rural town in Kyushu.

Kikuchi Shrine Adventure Part 3: Kitamiya Aso Shrine

Kikuchi Shrine Adventure Part 2: Myorenji

Kikuchi Shrine Adventure Part 1: Kikuchi Shrine

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