Sakitori Shrine (前鳥神社)

Sakitori Shrine (前鳥神社) is a Shinto shrine located in the Shinomiya district of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. It holds the title of shinomiya (the fourth-ranked shrine) of the former Sagami Province, which covers most of present-day Kanagawa Prefecture. The shrine stands at the southern edge of the natural levee along the Sagami River which is said to be the origin of the name of Sakitori. Until the Heian period, the name of the area was Sakitori.

Haiden (worship hall) of Sakitori Shrine

The kami (deities) enshrined are Ujinowakiiratsuko no Mikoto (菟道稚郎子命), Oyama-Kui-no-Kami (大山咋命), and Yamato Takeru no Mikoto (日本武尊). Ujinowakiiratsuko no Mikoto was the prince of Emperor Ojin (応神天皇). It is said he learned the art of kingcraft from Achiki or Ajiki (阿直岐), the son of the king of Baekje according to the shrine's website, and later learned from Wani (王仁), a scholar from Baekje. It is also said he was the first Japanese to study from Chinese materials and texts including the Analects (論語) and the Thousand Character Text (千字文). He is also known for handing over the throne to his brother, Osazaki no Mikoto (大鷦鷯命), later Emperor Nintoku (仁徳天皇).

Before the Nara period, a group of people worshipping the above-mentioned deities moved from Kinai into the area and enshrined the kami in the land which is believed to be the origin of Sakitori Shrine. The name of the shrine appears in the Engishiki, a book of laws and customs compiled during the Engi era (901–923). The title of shinomiya is believed to have originated from the festival of Konomachi (国府祭) of Sagami Province which is believed to have started during the Yoro era (717–724).

Subordinate Shrines

Godo Jinja (神戸神社) & Shogaku Jinja (奨学神社)

East of the shrine building of Sakitori Shrine are two subordinate shrines, Godo Jinja (神戸神社) and Shogaku Jinja (奨学神社), and the shrine office.

Godo Jinja

Godo Jinja enshrines the kami Amaterasu-Omikami (天照皇大神) and Susanoo-no-Mikoto (素盞嗚命).

Shogaku Jinja

Shogaku Jinja enshrines Achiki, Wani, and Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真).

Shrine office

Yakuyoke Inari-sha (厄除稲荷社)

Main shrine

Branch shrine

Yakuyoke Inari-sha (厄除稲荷社) was founded in 1808 as a guardian deity of the omote-kimon (表鬼門), the northeast direction, of Sakitori Shrine by enshrining the kami of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. The shrine was less accessible to visitors since it is situated behind Sakitori Shrine. In December 2023, its branch shrine was built in the ura-kimon (裏鬼門), the opposite direction of the omote-kimon, of Sakitori Shrine.

Shinomiya Higashi-cho Inari-sha (四之宮東町稲荷社), Tori-cho Inari-sha (通町稲荷社) & Mitake Jinja (御嶽神社)

The second torii of Sakitori Jinja

Shinomiya Higashi-cho Inari-sha

Tori-cho Inari-sha and Mitake Jinja

There are two more Inari shrines, originally standing outside Sakitori Shrine; Shinomiya Higashi-cho Inari-sha (四之宮東町稲荷社) standing along the sando (pathway) near the second torii (shrine gate) and Tori-cho Inari-sha (通町稲荷社) and Mitake Jinja (御嶽神社) standing behind Sakitori Shrine on the northwest side.

Sorei-sha (祖霊社)

Sorei-sha (left) and goshinboku (right)

Next to the goshinboku (a sacred tree at a Shinto shrine believed to be a dwelling place of kami) is another subordinate shrine, Sorei-sha (祖霊社), enshrining the souls of all the chief priests of Sakitori Shrine and the people who contributed to the shrine.

Reference:

• Sakitori Shrine (n.d.). 延喜式内社 相模国四之宮 前鳥神社 SAKITORI JINJA. 前鳥神社 SAKITORI JINJA. https://sakitori.jp/