Yugawara - Ubusunahachiman Shrine
One day last week, I took the train to Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture (about an hour and a half ride) and visited some shrines, temples, and a waterfall. I walked all day and saw a lot of interesting things. It was a big day long adventure. The first place I visited was Ubusunahachiman Shrine. I was the only person at this shrine at the time.
The main deity of the shrine is Hondawake no Mikoto. The shrine is said to have been established in 1108. One of the two torii gates is inscribed with the date Jokyo 4 (1687). A ridge tag indicates the shrine was rebuilt in 1852 and identifies its earlier name as Rissho Hachiman Shrine. In 1873, the shrine was designated as Son-sha (village or lower shrine) In 1931, it was expanded, and the shrine’s thatched roof was replaced with galvanized sheet roofing. In November of that year, the shrine was designated to receive government offerings. The roof was upgraded to tiled roofing in 1960, and a new torii gate was erected in 1967. Currently, the shrine is managed as a branch of the Gosho Shrine. One ancient tree, over 600 years old, standing to the right of the shrine’s stone steps, was designated as a natural monument of Yugawara on May 1, 1997.
This is the first of several posts about my visit to Yugawara.
2 comments:
If you want to see an old building in Japan, head to a shrine or temple! Not only the buildings but the trees, or at least one of them, are ancient, too!
It's so nice that they continue to update with new roofing and such but maintain the original beauty and style of the temples.
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