It looks rather simple, but has a long history.
Information from the Tokaido Guide website.
This shrine was founded in 730. In the "Lore of Nyakuichioji Daigongensha" written in the middle of the Edo era (1603 - 1868), when Minamoto No Yoshiie came east along the Tokaido Road in the late Heian era (794 - 1185), he saw wisteria blooming on an old pine tree at this shrine. He wrote a poem, saying "Wisteria branches bloom on pine in Ichioji, bring beauty to this shrine throughout the ages". This poem is said to be the source of the name Fujieda (meaning "wisteria branch"). The laurel forest on the mountain in the premises behind the main shrine have been designated as a natural monument of the prefecture, because it is the northern limit of where plants that favor warm climates can grow in the prefecture.
4 comments:
it is indeed a simple-looking shrine. Even the shimenawa straw rope hung in front of the gate and the shrine looks very simple.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimenawa
It amazes me how these have held up through so many years -- and through wars and earthquakes.
It is certainly a simple shrine, but looking at the newness of the Shimenawa, it seems that it changes every year.
Shimenawa creates a barrier and maintains the sacredness of the shrine.
I wonder if 'the northern limit of where plants that favor warm climates can grow in the prefecture' is still true, or if this line has shifted in recent years due to climate change.
Post a Comment