Hachiman Asami Shrine: A Historic Shinto Shrine in Beppu, Japan
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Japan
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Japanese, Tokugawa
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Sanctuary
On this page6 sections
History
Hachiman Asami Shrine, also known as Asami Hachimangu, is a Shinto shrine in Beppu, Japan, traditionally founded in 1196 under the patronage of the Otomo warrior house. The shrine’s principal deity was said to have been invited from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura. Hachiman is a major Shinto deity associated with the imperial lineage and the protection of warriors and communities, and Hachiman shrines commonly identify the deity with Emperor Ojin.
Foundation and relocation
Tradition places the shrine’s original site at Ryugaoka, in the area now known as Ichinode, Ueharamachi, Beppu. Its grounds were said to have collapsed during an eruption of Mount Tsurumidake, leading to a transfer to the present location. The relocation is traditionally dated to 1348, although the surviving documentary evidence does not establish the date clearly. In the same year, the shrine was counted among the Seven Hachiman Shrines of Bungo. These shrines were described either as foundations of Otomo Yoshinao or as establishments or reconstructions carried out by Otomo Ujitsugu, a member of the ruling family.
The Otomo family continued to patronize Hachiman Asami Shrine until it was dispossessed in 1593. During the Edo period, the shrine was revived. Its buildings were restored in 1670, while a sanctuary and a music hall were newly constructed in 1696. After the shrine received a patent for four-group cotton hand-cord work in 1701, its grounds expanded and its influence increased.
Priestly tradition and modern status
The shrine’s first chief priest is traditionally identified as Fukuda Tosa-no-kami Minamoto Takamasa, who accompanied the procession of a mikoshi, or portable shrine carrying a deity, from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu when he took office in Bungo. His descendants continued to serve the shrine and later changed their surname from Fukuda to Ko. The enshrined deities include Oosazaki-no-Mikoto, identified with Emperor Nintoku; Homutawake-no-Mikoto, identified with Emperor Ojin; Tarashinakahiko-no-Mikoto, identified with Emperor Chuai; and Okinagatarashihime-no-Mikoto, identified with Empress Jingu.
In 1873, Hachiman Asami was classified as a village shrine and became the general shrine of Beppu and Hamawaki. It was raised to township-shrine status in 1918 and to prefectural-shrine status in 1937. The shrine is now classified as a former prefectural shrine and as a Beppyo shrine, a shrine separately designated within the organizational system of the Association of Shinto Shrines. Its buildings were rebuilt in 1922, and a ritual hall and Noh theater followed in 1927. After the Second World War, Onsen Shrine, the guardian shrine of Beppu Onsen, was merged into Hachiman Asami Shrine.
Hachiman Asami remains the central venue for the Beppu Eight Hot Springs Festival held each April. Its principal annual festival takes place on October 19.
Remains
Main shrine complex
The complex is organized around a main sanctuary, worship hall, ritual hall, and Noh theater. The main sanctuary follows the Nagare-zukuri style, whose gabled roof has a flowing front slope that extends over the veranda and worship area. The ritual hall and Noh theater were added in 1927, while the music hall was built in 1696. Together, these buildings reflect the shrine’s continuing ceremonial functions and the successive rebuilding and expansion of its grounds.
Subsidiary shrines and protected grove
Several subsidiary shrines stand within the grounds. Tenjin Shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the Heian-period scholar and court official worshipped after his death as Tenjin, a deity associated especially with learning. Inari Shrine enshrines Ukanomitama, an Inari-associated deity of food and grain, while Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to Ichikishimahime, a deity associated with water and maritime protection. Tenso Shrine is dedicated to ancestral deities. The grounds also contain a camphor tree and an arakashi woodland. The sacred grove was designated a special protected tree grove on March 15, 1974, and the camphor tree and arakashi woodland are recognized as a natural monument by Oita Prefecture.
