Akama Jingū: A Shinto Shrine Dedicated to Emperor Antoku
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Japan
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Japanese
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Sanctuary
On this page9 sections
History
Akama Jingū is a Shinto shrine in Shimonoseki, Japan, dedicated to the child Emperor Antoku, who drowned during the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. The battle ended the Genpei War, a late twelfth-century civil war in which the Minamoto clan defeated the Taira clan, also known as the Heike, in their struggle for control of Japan.
From Amidaji Temple to Imperial Memorial Shrine
The site began as Amidaji Temple in 859. After Antoku’s death, his body could not be found near the battlefield. In 1191, an imperial order therefore established a memorial hall for him at Akama-seki. A nun associated with Kenreimon-in, Antoku’s mother, was assigned to serve there, and the institution came to receive veneration as a temple devoted to prayers for the imperial family.
Antoku continued to be enshrined at the Emperor Antoku Memorial Hall through Buddhist rites until the Meiji period. The government’s separation of Buddhism and Shinto then abolished Amidaji, converted the site into a shrine, and renamed it Tenno-sha. On October 7, 1875, Tenno-sha became Akama-gū and was classified as a mid-ranking government-supported imperial shrine. After the official determination of imperial tomb sites, the grounds of Antoku’s shrine were designated on July 25, 1889, as a pseudo-mausoleum, meaning a traditional memorial location associated with the emperor rather than his confirmed burial place.
Modern Shrine and Continuing Traditions
On August 1, 1940, the shrine was raised to the highest imperial-shrine rank within the Kanpei-sha system, which ranked government-supported shrines associated with the imperial family, and it received the name Akama Jingū. The shrine buildings were destroyed by fire during the Second World War, and a new complex was completed in April 1965.
The National Heike Association was established in 1975. In 1985, during the 800th anniversary of the Genpei conflict, a divided spirit of Antoku was ceremonially transferred to the Tokikuni family in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. The family descended from Taira no Tokitada, a court official of the Taira clan. A subsidiary shrine was built within the family residence and named Noto Antoku Shrine.
Akama Jingū’s annual observances maintain its association with Antoku and the Heike. The Heike Doll-Floating Ritual takes place in early March. The Sentei Festival, held from May 2 to 4 on the anniversary of Antoku’s death, includes a ceremony before the mausoleum, a memorial service for the Taira family, participation by descendants of Heike refugees, and a courtesan-style shrine visit. Processions and a reenactment of the Genpei naval battle also take place in Shimonoseki and on the waters toward Dan-no-ura. Other observances include the Hoichi Biwa Memorial Service on July 15, the Sea Urchin Memorial Service in mid-October, the autumn grand festival on October 7, and the Shimenawa Festival on December 10. Shimenawa are sacred ropes used to mark Shinto spaces.
The Suitenmon Gate and its corridor were registered as nationally registered tangible cultural properties on November 2, 2018.
Remains
Shrine Grounds and Waterfront Gate
The modern shrine occupies the grounds of the former Amidaji Temple and its adjoining cemetery on the waterfront of the Kanmon Strait. The rebuilt complex is organized around the shrine precinct and its strongly colored entrance architecture. Its main gate, the Suitenmon Gate, is vivid red and highly visible from the surrounding waterfront. Its colors and design draw on Ryūgū-jō, the legendary underwater palace associated with Ryūjin, the dragon deity of the sea.
Memorial and Decorative Features
Hoichi Hall
Hoichi Hall contains a statue of Hoichi the Earless, the blind biwa performer from a traditional Japanese ghost story popularized internationally by Lafcadio Hearn.
Seven Mounds
The grounds also contain Nanamori-zuka, known as the Seven Mounds. These mounds represent Heike warriors who were lost during the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
Sliding-Door Paintings
The shrine possesses a set of sliding-door paintings traditionally attributed to Tosa Mitsunobu, a prominent painter associated with the court-oriented Tosa school of Japanese painting.
