Kushida Shrine

Kushida-jinja is a Shinto shrine located in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Dedicated to Amaterasu and Susanoo, it is said to have been founded in 757.

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival is centred on the shrine. Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a Japanese festival celebrated from the 1st until the 15th of July in Hakata, Fukuoka. The festivities are centered on the Kushida Jinja. The festival is famous for the Kakiyama, that weigh around one ton and are carried around the city as an act of float-racing. The festival is believed to be over 770 years old and attracts up to a million spectators each year.

Torii in front of the tower gate.

Tower gate.
The rōmon (lit. tower gate) is one of two types of two-storied gates used in Japan (the other one being the nijūmon).

Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

Zodiac ebodian.
It is suspended on the ceiling of the tower gate, and the arrows are rotated on New Year's Eve every year to indicate the grace of the new year.

In addition, the forehead of the tower gate "威稜" is read as "Majesty" and means the majesty of the Son of Heaven and the Emperor.

Kushida shrine map.

Central courtyard.

Temizuya cleansing ritual.
Steps: 1 - Give a slight bow towards the water basin. 2 - Hold the dipper with your right hand to pour water on your left hand. 3 - Switch hands and pour water on your right hand. 4 - Switch hands again, cup your left and pour water inside. 5 - Use that to rinse your mouth. Do not swallow. When you spit the water out, cover your mouth so as not to be seen. 6 - Re-rinse your left hand once more. 7 - Pour out the remaining water from the dipper, dip it one last time in the water for a final purification and return it to its place.

Please be sure to pick up enough water from the beginning so you do not have to refill it multiple times. Try doing the whole purification process in one fluid motion, at a respectively low level, so as to keep water from falling back into the water basin.

Reclining cow statue.
Shinshi or "divine messengers," are animals in Japanese mythology that are believed to be associated with a kami, a divine being.

In ancient texts such as Kojiki and Nihongi, there are tales of special animals that acted on behalf of the kami to transmit the divine will or to bear oracles.
The cow is associated with Tenjin.
See more at Shinshi - Wikipedia.

Statue of a sacred horse.
Shinme (or Jinme, sacred horse) is a term used to refer to a horse that is dedicated to a Japanese shrine or one used in rites and festivals.

There is no rule about the kinds of horses to be chosen, and they are believed to be ridden by god (deities, spirits).

Inner gate with guardian lions.
Komainu, often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the honden, or inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the public. The first type, born during the Edo period, is called sandō komainu (lit. 'entrance-road Komainu'), the second and much older type jinnai komainu (lit. 'komainu inside the shrine').

Meant to ward off evil spirits, modern komainu statues usually are almost identical, but one has the mouth open, the other closed (however, exceptions exist, where both komainu have their mouth either open or closed). The two forms are called a-gyō (lit. '"a" shape') and un-gyō (lit. '"un" shape') or referred to collectively as a-un.

Main hall.
The wood carvings of the Wind God and Thunder God on the left and right sides of the gables in the worship hall are said to represent the humorous nature of the Hakata children, with the wind god running away from the thunder god with a bang.

This god of wind and thunder is the motif of the tapestry displayed at the Hakataza.

Reisen crane well.
A sacred spring that springs from the basement of the main shrine and is believed to be the water of life for immortality and longevity.

Ema hall (Ema-do).
In some early Shinto and folk traditions of Japan, horses were seen as carrying messages from the kami, and were usually used to transmit requests during droughts or famines. Horses were extremely expensive, and figures made of clay or wood have been found dating to the Nara period. The earliest text record of a substitution is from the Honcho Bunsui from 1013, in which an offering of three paper horses is made at the Kitano Tenjin shrine. During the Kamakura period, the practice entered into Buddhist practice, as evidenced in painted scrolls of ema at Buddhist temples.

Ema are left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (spirits or gods) are believed to receive them.
Once inscribed with a wish, ema are hung at the shrine until they are ritually burned at special events, symbolic of the liberation of the wish from the writer.
As a ritual, the ema is a means to communicate wishes to both priests and the kami. The public nature of the ema, which are displayed at shrines before their ritual burning, also serves a social function for communicating to the community that an individual has made the wish. Burning the wishes helps to "symbolically liberate" the spirit of the wish into the world. In some cases, however, wishes are taken from the shrine to be hung at home, though still ritually burned in special ceremonies.
See more at Ema (Shinto) - Wikipedia.

Inside the main hall.
The main deity is Ōbata (Kushida Shrine) in the main hall, Emperor Amaterasu (Daijingu) in the left hall, and Susanoo (Gion-no-miya) in the right hall.

It has the oldest history as a soji god of Hakata, and enshrines Emperor Amaterasu (Daijingu), Ōhata (Kushida-no-miya), and Susano-o-miya (Gion-gu). It used to be enshrined in each of the three shrines.
It is said that the lord of Ōbata was enshrined by Emperor Koken in the first year of Tenpei Hōji (757), and that the simple god was solicited by Ono Yoshiko, the follow-up envoy of the Fujiwara Sumitomo Rebellion in the 4th year of Tenkei (941), to dedicate victory. It seems that the dedication of Emperor Amaterasu is too old and unclear as a historical fact.
See more at Susanoo and Amaterasu - Wikipedia.

Main deity.
The main deity is Ōbata in the main hall.

Yamakasa.
The floats, called Yamakasa, are divided into two groups. The Kakiyama are the smaller, carryable floats, that are raced through the town, while the Kazariyama are stationary floats, that are built up to 13 metres high and often depict historic or mythical events of Japanese culture. Originally the Kakiyama and Kazariyama were one and the same, with the large floats being carried through the city. However the Yamakasa were split up in 1898 when the electrical power lines in Hakata became too common for large Yamakasa to be carried through the streets.

Kushida Shrine is a shrine where Hakata Gion Yamakasa is dedicated, and decorative yamakasa are exhibited all year round except June. Nicknamed "Mr. Kushida" by Hakata children, he is the general guardian of Hakata.
Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a festival of Gion Shrine held in July. The entry into Kushida on July 7 is the climax of the festival.
The decorative yamakasa of Kushida Shrine is on permanent display, but it is rebuilt on July 7 every year.
See more at Hakata Gion Yamakasa - Wikipedia.

Shrine maiden.
A miko, or shrine maiden, is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine.

Miko were once likely seen as shamans, but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perform tasks, ranging from sacred cleansing to performing the sacred Kagura dance.
The traditional attire of a miko is a pair of red hakama (divided, pleated trousers), a white kosode (a predecessor of the kimono), and some white or red hair ribbons.
In Shinto, the color white symbolizes purity.
See more at Miko - Wikipedia.

Ebisu shrine.
Worshippers here pray to Ebisu, one of the Seven Lucky Gods of the Shinto religion, in the hopes of enjoying prosperity in business or auspicious family fortunes.

Ebisu, also transliterated Webisu or called Hiruko or Kotoshiro-nushi-no-kami, is the Japanese god of fishermen and luck. He is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin), and the only one of the seven to originate purely from Japan without any Buddhist or Taoist influence.
See more at Ebisu (mythology) - Wikipedia.

Sake barrels.
When displayed near a Shinto shrine, barrels of sake are called kazaridaru, which means “decoration barrels.” As can be surmised, the barrels on display are empty, at least in physical terms. Spiritually, they’re chock full of significance.

In Japan, sake has always been a way of bringing our gods and people together.
In some of the oldest texts the word used for sake is miki, written with the characters for ‘god’ and ‘wine.’ People would go a shrine festival and be given rice wine to drink, and they would feel happy and closer to the gods.

Kushida no Gi Nan.
It is said to be 1,000 years old and is a sacred tree that is a symbol of longevity.

In the Hakata celebration song, it is sung, "Well, it's a splendid Kushida nogi.".

Rikishi.
In the past, Usumi wrestling was actively held at Kushida Shrine, and many famous sumo wrestlers dedicated stones that they lifted with great strength.

In recent years, the power stones of famous sumo wrestlers have been dedicated.

Kamado shrine.
Subordinate shrine within the precincts of Kushida Shrine.

Kamado-jinja is a Shinto shrine located in Dazaifu, Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. Located at the top of Mount Hōman, which has been venerated from ancient times as a sacred mountain, the shrine is dedicated to Tamayori-bime, Emperor Ōjin, and Empress Jingū.
See more at Kamado Shrine - Wikipedia.

Shimekake Inari shrine.
An Inari shrine (Inari jinja) is a type of Japanese shrine used to worship the kami Inari. Inari is a popular deity associated with foxes, rice, household wellbeing, business prosperity, and general prosperity.

Inari shrines are typically constructed of white stucco walls with red-lacquered woodwork, and their entrances are marked by vermilion torii.
See more at Inari shrine - Wikipedia.