Shrine: Kurumazaki-jinja

## Introduction

車折神社:Kurumazaki-jinja is a typical shrine in Japan. It has a lot of smaller branch shrines in the ground in addition to the main shrine.

清原頼業(きよはら の よりなり:Kiyohara no Yorinari) is enshrined at the main shrine. He was a competent official of public ceremonies and events in the Imperial court and a eminent Confucian scholar in the 12th century.

##### **Official page: Index**

http://www.kurumazakijinja.or.jp/mokuzi.html

##### **Glossary of Shinto**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary\_of\_Shinto

##### **Photo Kurumazaki-Jinja**

http://mihawk-in-japanese.wikia.com/wiki/Template:Photo\_Kurumazaki-Jinja

## History

According to the official page, the enshrined deity was 清原頼業:Kiyohara no Yorinari, who was a Confucian scholar in the late Heian preiod. He was a descendant of 舎人親王:Prince Toneri in the Nara period.

##### **Official page: history**

http://www.kurumazakijinja.or.jp/goyuisyo.html

##### **舎人親王:Prince Toneri**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince\_Toneri

> *a Japanese imperial prince in the Nara period. He was a son of Emperor Tenmu.*
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    I found interesting info in the paragraph of "In popular culture" of the above wiki;

> *The character Toneri Otsutsuki in The Last: Naruto the Movie is named after Prince Toneri.*
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Sometimes, English page of wiki gives me another info.

The word "舎人:Toneri" in old Japanese was also one of common nouns, such as;

> *someone who works in close quarters with the emperor or imperial family; ox-tender for oxcarts; horse boy;*
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According to the official page, Yorinari loved cherry blossom. A lot of cherry trees were planted at his mausoleum and it was called Cherry Shrine at the beginning.

One day, 後嵯峨天皇:Emperor Go-Saga visited to Oi-gawa River in Arashi-yama. When they went by the Cherry Shrine, a shift of oxcart happened to break.

Emperor Go-Saga was so impressed that he named "車折大明神[Kuruma-zaki DaiMyoJin]:The great bririant deity of breaking cart" and give them the highest rank given to a shrine. Thus, they called themselves "車折神社:Kuruma-zaki Jinja".

Emperor Go-Saga was named after the 8th-century Emperor Saga who was well-known for Daikaku-ji temple.

##### **後嵯峨天皇:Emperor Go-Saga**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor\_Go-Saga

> *the 88th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. This reign spanned the years 1242 through 1246.*
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> *This 13th-century sovereign was named after the 8th-century Emperor Saga and go- (後), translates literally as "later"; and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Saga". The Japanese word go has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Saga, the second," or as "Saga II."*
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## 清原氏:Kiyohara Clan

Kiyohara clan was famous for their intellectuality as a scholar and professor of Confucianism.

##### **Kiyohara clan**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyohara\_clan

> *a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686).*
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They were also good at Waka poetry. Three poets were selected for the Ogura best 100.

##### **小倉百人一首: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogura\_Hyakunin\_Isshu

##### **清原深養父:Kiyohara-no-Fukayabu**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyohara\_no\_Fukayabu

https://www.shigureden.or.jp/about/database\_03.html?id=36

> 夏の夜は　まだ宵ながら　明けぬるを
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> 雲のいづこに　月やどるらむ
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> *Where is the moon in the clouds at night in summer?*
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> *Day breaks. It's still early...*
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##### **清原元輔: Kiyohara-no-Motosuke**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyohara\_no\_Motosuke

https://www.shigureden.or.jp/about/database\_03.html?id=42

> 契りきな　かたみに袖を　しぼりつつ
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> 末の松山　波越さじとは
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> *We made a vow to our clothes dyeing with tears?*
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> *It's impossible it can be so...*
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> *It's nonsense the wave won't get over Mt. Matsuyama...?*
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##### **清少納言: Sei Shonagon**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sei Shōnagon

> *a Japanese author, poet and a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period. She is the author of The Pillow Book (枕草子 makura no sōshi).*
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https://www.shigureden.or.jp/about/database\_03.html?id=62

> 夜をこめて　鳥のそらねは　はかるとも
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> よに逢坂の　関はゆるさじ
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> *No Entry! I won't allow you!*
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> *Though you mimic a bird at dawn!*
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> *(I owe such a bird leaving me alone in the other night!)*
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Well, Kiyohara clan was famous for their intellectuality and study of Chinese thought... who carried their own commentary bearing their name, "清家文庫"...

## Related shrines, deities and people

### **摂社/末社: Related shrines and deities in the ground**

Kurumazaki-jinja is generally civilian shrine which doesn't have a branch shrine of Hachiman.

There are 芸能神社: Arts shrine for artists, 大国主神社: Oo-Kuni-Nushi shrine for love and peace, 弁天神社: Benten shrine for wealth and happiness, 天満天神社: Sora-mitsu-Amatsu-Kami-no-Yashiro for cultivation, 辰巳稲荷神社: Tatsumi-Inari shrine for improvement of practical arts, 愛宕山: Mt. Atago shrine for fireproof, 水神社: Water (dragon) shrine for waterproof, and so on.

##### **天宇受賣命: Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto

##### **猿田彦大神: Sarutahiko Okami**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarutahiko\_Okami

##### **出雲大社: Izumo-taisha**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izumo-taisha

##### **天神: Tenjin**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenjin\_(kami)

##### **愛宕山: Mount Atago**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount\_Atago

##### **水神: Suijin (water deity)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suijin

Sei-Shounagon was also shrined as 清少納言神社: Sei-Shounagon shrine for literary talent in the same ground.

Her farther 清原元輔: Kiyohara no Motosuke was shrined at the 北岡神社: Kitaoka-jinja in Kumamoto city as 清原神社: Kiyohara-jinja, because the last official career of Motosuke was a provincial governor of Higo (Kumamoto) Province .

##### **肥後の名国司２: The noted governor of Higo No.2**

http://kumanago.jp/benri/terakoya/?mode=031&pre\_page=2

http://kumanago.jp/en/

### **細川家: Hosokawa family**

One of Motosuke's descents was 細川"幽斎"藤孝: Hosokawa "Yūsai" Fujitaka who was a prominent Samurai retainer of the last Ashikaga shoguns in Kyoto.

##### **細川 幽斎 藤孝: Hosokawa Fujitaka**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosokawa\_Fujitaka

If Yusai would be a character of AR game, he should have seven stars.

He was one of the excellent swordsman instructed by 塚原卜伝:Tsukahara Bokuden. Bokuden was a great sword master called "剣聖:sacred sword" who had no scar.

##### **塚原 卜伝: Tsukahara Bokuden**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukahara\_Bokuden

Besides, Yusai was also the best Waka poet in Sengoku era and one of the successor of Nijō poetic school of Japanese waka poetry. He was the only one who succeeded to 古今伝授: Kokin Initiation, secret rhetoric of Imperial anthology "古今和歌集: " from Heian period, at that time.

##### **二条派: Nijō poetic school**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nijō poetic school

##### **古今和歌集: Kokin Wakashu**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokin Wakashū

Generally, Emperors in Japan were keepers of literary works and traditional arts.

後陽成天皇: Emperor Go-Yōzei sent his authorized messengers to both camps at Yusai's castle surrounded in the Siege of Tanabe 500 vs 15,000 and ordered them to stop fighting for making peace during the Battle of Sekigahara. Just because he had to keep the only one who knew Kokin Initiation, secret rhetoric of old Waka poetry at that time.

##### **後陽成天皇: Emperor Go-Yōzei**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor Go-Yōzei

##### **田辺城の戦い: Siege of Tanabe**

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege\_of\_Tanabe

##### **関ヶ原の戦い: Battle of Sekigahara**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle\_of\_Sekigahara

The authorized messengers were just poets...or a calligrapher...who had nothing heavy, but a pen...

The authority of Waka poetry was higher than force, even though it was violent war age. Somehow Waka poetry had a magical power to stop fighting in the battle.

Yusai shaved his head to name himself a poetic title "幽斎: Yusai" when Nobunaga died because of the rebel army of 明智光秀: Akechi Mitsuhide in Honnō-ji Incident. He stayed in Kyoto as a Buddhist in his last years and buried at Zen temple 南禅寺: Nanzen-ji in Kyoto.

##### **明智 光秀: Akechi Mitsuhide**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akechi\_Mitsuhide

##### **本能寺の変: Honnō-ji Incident**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honnō-ji Incident

Yusai's son 細川忠興 was the first Samurai load of 豊前小倉藩: Buzen-Kokura domain.

His wife was a famous Cristão lady 細川ガラシャ: Hosokawa Gracia, who was a daughter of Mitsuhide. Gracia was her Catholic baptismal name.

##### **細川 忠興: Hosokawa Tadaoki**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosokawa\_Tadaoki

##### **細川 ガラシャ: Hosokawa Gracia**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosokawa\_Gracia

Gracia is so famous that she is a playable character in Koei's Samurai Warriors series.

Their son was 細川忠利: Hosokawa Tadatoshi who was the first Samurai load of 肥後熊本藩: Higo-Kumamoto domain. I mentioned him as a keeper of two books of swordsmanship in the article "Kumamoto Goods".

##### **細川 忠利: Hosokawa Tadatoshi**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosokawa\_Tadatoshi

It is said that his mother Gracia made him get baptism because he was delicate of health in his childhood. He was living in Edo as pledge of alliance with Tokugawa shogunate and instructed in swordsmanship by Munenori when he was young. He liked drinking wine to make the first wine in Japan.

## How to join

    Kurumazaki-jinja is a unique shrine where many colorful panels are displayed in the ground like 3-D walk-through wiki, or a school festival.

Their guides are very kind and useful for walking around shrine.

Dementia patients with day care staffs or their family often go walking around shrines and temples.

Some of them with mental disorder, such as Alzheimer disease, hydrocephalus, cancer, tend to be afraid of divine punishments or Buddha's punishments, though they like walking around shrines and temples.

They frequently ask similar questions how to do with anxiety.

> "Am I OK?" "Am I right?" "I don't know how to do." "Won't they punish me?"
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NO, they never punish you. They enjoy with you. It sounds good. It looks fine. Excellent. Perfect. They are thankful for your nice performance and entertainment. You are the best.

They usually suffer from judgement, "Is this right or wrong in this society?" "Is this proper or not in this community?"

The panels show their clear judgement with illustrations. "This is OK." "This is right." "This is NG." "This is wrong." They ease patients of their worries.

Actually, they are afraid of strangers they can not remember clearly and strange machines they don't know. Generally, shopping is hard for dementia patients. There are a lot of strangers and strange machines in the store.

Serious patients who stay in the locked area in the hospital are not allowed to keep their property. So, we cannot buy anything. But, we can donate some money to the favorite shrine. We can enjoy walking around Krumazaki-jinja as if we are window-shopping.

How about this color? Do you like it? Which do you like? Pink or blue? Yellow!? Really? You always surprise me! Me? I like green. I'm happy in these rich greens.

Golden yellow is Benten's color. Let's go to Benten shrine. Yeah, she is beautiful. You are very quick to find beautiful lady. Yeah, your smile is like Benten.

What? Green? Oh, oh, green ones! You find them for me? Thanks! I like them very much!

Well, let me see. Ok. I see. We can pray with this water to Benten shrine. We carry a pail of water to offer to Benten. Let's try together.

That's like an emergency drill. Oh, really? You were good at an emergency drill in the childhood? Great! Oh, oh, really? You were quick to hide in the bombproof shelter? You were the first runner? Great! You can still run? Great! Take care!

OK, pour the water into this box from the green pail. Yeah, then...the water will come from this outlet...?

Um? I hear a sound. Wait. Let me see. I'll try again. I'll pour the water into this box from the green pail...

Look! That's gimmick! Now, I see!

Look at this long bamboo pipe! The water goes through this long bamboo pipe to that bamboo pumps near the small red shrine! Now, click! Yeah, that's fun! Yeah, we figured out the trick! One more try? Sure. Let's pray again. I forgot to wish in excitement...

What did you wish? Your son's happiness? OH, good. One more? Sure. Your daughter's happiness? Good. Benten Shrine is sure to welcome you.

We can hear slow court music of ancient Japan in low volume sounds around the shrine office while smoking. We can bring back some happiness with their cheerful panels, calm comfortable music and sweet memories of my friends.

Template:Photo\_Kurumazaki-Jinja

ONE\_PIECE\_20th\_x\_KYOTO\_Report

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