Kaijin Shrine

Kaijin Shrine
shrine and main hall
Religion
AffiliationShinto
DeityToyotama-hime,
Hikohohodemi no Mikoto
FestivalsLife release, Kaijin Matsuri
Architecture
StyleNagare-zukuri
Glossary of Shinto

Kaijin Shrine (海神神社) also read as Watatsumi Shrine is a significant Shinto shrine located in Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, that holds a Beppyo status. This status denotes that the shrine is remarkable and holds a significant historical importance. Kaijin Shrine is also ranked as an Ichinomiya, which means it is the highest-ranked shrine in its province.[1][2]: 98 [3] It is located near Mount Izu.[4]

In Tsushima folklore it is said that Toyotama-hime and Hikohohodemi no Mikoto married at this shrine, and it is thus the sea god's palace.[5]: 443 

Empress Jingu visited the area to worship at Mount Izu.[1]

The shrine has a prominent set of Torii that are often compared to Itsukushima Shrine in how they enter water.[5]: 297  Recent archaeological findings suggest it is one of the oldest shrines in Japan, and Itsukushima Shrine was based on it.[5]: 321 

The shrine is associated with Kamikaze, the typhoon that stopped the Mongol invasion of Japan.[2]: 97–99 

It has a Bronze Buddha statue from Korea in it.[6][7] The statue is designated as important cultural property.[7]

In 2012 a robber stole a Silla era Buddha statue from the shrine,[8][5]: 321  on the same day they stole another statue from Kannon-ji[9][10] but in 2015 it was returned.[8][11][12][5]: 321 

Shrine area

Kaijin Shrine should not be confused with Watatsumi Shrine, which has a very similar Japanese name (海神社) to Kaijin Shrine (海神神社) and is located in Kobe

  1. ^ a b "Mine Town". Tsushima Island. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  2. ^ a b Rambelli, F (2018). The Sea and The Sacred in Japan. Camden: Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. pp. preface. ISBN 978-1350062870.
  3. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20120213073802/http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/images/uploads/EOS070712Ab.pdf. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2023-12-01. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Proceedings. Architectural Institute of Korea. 2006.
  5. ^ a b c d e FAURE, BERNARD (2021-12-31). Rage and Ravage. University of Hawaii Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1k3np30. ISBN 978-0-8248-8936-4.
  6. ^ Archives of Asian Art. Asia Society. 1987.
  7. ^ a b Japan Close-up. PHP International. 2007.
  8. ^ a b "South Korea Returns Stolen Buddhist Statue to Japan | Buddhistdoor". www2.buddhistdoor.net. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  9. ^ Hae-yeon, Kim (2023-10-26). "Supreme Court dismisses Buseoksa's appeal in Bodhisattva statue ownership dispute". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  10. ^ Hae-yeon, Kim (2023-02-06). "Buseoksa to appeal court ruling on Bodhisattva statue stolen from Japan". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  11. ^ Press, Jiji (2023-02-02). "S. Korean Court Denies Temple's Ownership of Statue Stolen from Japan". japannews.yomiuri.co.jp. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  12. ^ "S. Korea court rejects suit seeking return of statue to Japan | GlobalPost". 2015-05-27. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2023-11-20.