Tsukuyomi Jinja (月讀神社)

Haiden of Tsukuyomi Jinja

Shrine office

Tsukuyomi Jinja (月讀神社) is a Shinto shrine in the Hinosawa area of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, enshrining the kami (deity) Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto (月読尊).

It is said that the shrine's origin dates back to Tengyo 8 (945), when Taira no Masakado enshrined Seishi Bosatsu (Mahathamaprapta), the Buddhist bodhisattva representing the power of wisdom.

The site is also known for its long-standing tradition of tsuki-machi ("moon-waiting"), in which people gathered on the 23rd day of each lunar month to await the moonrise and pray for good health, family safety, abundant harvests, prosperity, safe childbirth, and safe journeys.

Following the shinbutsu bunri (separation of Shinto and Buddhism) policy introduced by the Japanese government in 1868, the site was reorganized as a Shinto shrine. The Buddhist image of Seishi Bosatsu was removed, and the shrine came to enshrine Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Shinto deity of the moon, who had long been associated with Seishi Bosatsu through Japan's tradition of shinbutsu shugo (the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism).

Two small subordinate shrines stand to the right of the haiden (worship hall), while another is located behind the honden (main sanctuary). The building to the left serves as the shrine office.

Gakudo (back) and a stone lantern that collapsed in an earthquake (front)

Along the sando (approach to the shrine) stands a gakudo, a structure traditionally used for displaying large ema (wooden votive plaques).

Goshinboku

The goshinboku (a sacred tree at a Shinto shrine believed to be a dwelling place of kami) is a shii (Japanese chinquapin) estimated to be around 700 years old.