I did a quite translation/summary of the history of Hokkaido Jingu shrine, mostly so I could use it for my own reference. However, I thought my blog readers might find it interesting as well.
Preludes
There were many plans raised for building a major shrine in the Sapporo area. The chief preist of Hakodate Hachimangu shrine, KIKUCHI Shigekata (菊池重賢) got permission early on from the Yoshida house (who at that time managed shrine affairs) to establish a Hachimangu shrine in Sapporo to serve as the Protector of Ishikari region. Due the the change in government, this plan never saw the light, but Kikuchi would later become the first acting preist of Sapporo Jinja.
The Kaitakushi magistrate, SAGARA Masakatsu (相良正勝), also formulated a plan to establish “First Shrines” in each of Hokkaido’s 11 prefectures, with the one is Sapporo serving in the position of first among equals. This plan, too, was never enacted.
Finally, the eventual founder of Hokkaido Jingu, Shima Yoshitake, originally suggested that Abe no Hirafu (阿倍比羅夫), an ancient general famous for his settlement of barbarian lands, be enshrined instead of Okunitama at the shrine. But this idea was turned down.
Bring the Kami
On 21 September 1869, the Meiji emperor ordered that a kami for protecting Hokkaido be enshrined. This kami was called the kaitaku sanjin, and was an amalgation of Okunitama, Onamuchi, and Sukunabikona. The Chinza rite was attended by Lord Higashikuse, the Head of Development, and 23 others. The head of the Jingikan (Jingihaku), Nakayama Tadayasu (中山忠能) performed the rite and the three-faced mirror was entrusted to Lord Higashikuse.
Officials of the Hokkaido Development Commission sailed on the British ship Terusu from Shinagawa to Hakodate. Lord Higashikuse was appointed to reside at Hakodate, the busy port city on the south shore of Hokkaido. However, the main government for the island needed a more central location. Therefore, Lord Higashikuse entrusted the sacred mirror to Shima Yoshitake, who was appointed to reside at Sapporo in Ishikari. Magistrate Shima carried the mirror on his very body. He arrived at Zenibako in October, after the arduous journey through Raiden, Iwanai, and Yochi areas. There he resided until the Sapporo government building had been completed, after which he moved to Sapporo on 3 December.
Founding Hokkaido Jingu
In May 1870, Magistrate Shima had a temporary shrine constructed on the banks of Soseigawa River. The kami, who had been temporary enshrined in the government office, was moved to their larger–if still temporary–home by the river. From this period, the shrine became popularly known as Hokkaido’s “First Shrine” (一宮). This shrine was probably located at block North 5, East 1, but some say it was located on the other side of the street at North 6.
Souyama Seitarou, who had lived in Hokkaido since 1857 and set up an Izumo shrine in Ishikari , helped Magistrate Shima find a good place to locate Hokkaido Jingu permanently. They decided on Maruyama, a hill to the West of the city that was surrounded by mountains on three sides and open on the other. Magistrate Shima planned a really awesome shrine, but the central government was like, “Hold on, way too expensive!!” This overspending meant Magistrate Shima went through his entire budget of 60,000 ryou in only 3 month. This led to Shima’s dismissal from the post of magistrate.
However, Lord Higashikuse continued with Shima’s plan to permanently estbalished Hokkaido Jingu at Maruyama. A temprary shrine in the Kamakura-style was built, and on 4 June 1871, Hokkaido Jingu was given the rank of kokuhei shosha by the central government. It was also treated as a chokusai (imperial patronised) shrine, due to the Meiji Emperor’s personal involvement in ordering its foundation.
Later History
The first chief priest appointed to serve at Hokkaido Jingu never made it to Sapporo, so Kikuchi Shigekata mentioned above was the acting first priest. He also served as a Jingikan official for the Development Commission. Locating the shrine at the somewhat distant Maruyama made it difficult for people to visit the shrine. Funds for maintaining the shrine were always short, and the government could not afford to build proper roads to it. This made the position of priest there quite an unpopular posting. The shrine asked for permission to distribute ofuda in order to raise funds, but the central government refused to allow this until 1900.
In 1872, Hokkaido Jingu’s rank was raised to kanpei shosha. This removed the shrine from the Development Commission and placed it under the central government’s authority. At first, the shrine’s main festival was on 1 September, but in 1872, the festival was changed in 12 June. Lord Kuroda (黒田清隆), then the Head of Development, announced that all Hokkaido residents should take that day off work and either visit the shrine in person or give yohai reverence from afar. Today, Hokkaido Jingu’s festival day is called the Sapporo Festival and Sapporo public schools take half a day off under the guise of it being a “Local Culture Day”. Also some business in Sapporo take the day off too.
In 1889, the rebuilding of the Ise shrines occured. The main building of the Outer Shrine of Ise was recycled as a new main building for Hokkaido Jingu. In 1893, Hokkaido Jingu’s rank was raised to kanpei chuusha, and then finally in 1899 it was raised to the highest rank, kanpei taisha. A branch of Institute for the Study of Ancient Classics was also established at Hokkaido Jingu during the Great Promulgation Campaign.
After the war, in 1964, Emperor Meiji was enshrined in a second seat, and the old name of the shrine (Sapporo Jinja) was renewed to Hokkaido Jingu. Also, in 1974 an arsonist burned down several imporant shrine buildings (the honden, norito-den, and inner haiden), but they were reconstructed 1978.
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