Sakitori Jinja (前鳥神社)

Sakitori Jinja (前鳥神社)

There is a Shinto shrine called Sakitori Jinja (前鳥神社), which was and still holds the title of the shinomiya (四之宮) of Sagami Province, standing close to the Sagami River in Hiratsuka, 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.

The 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 (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, Ohosazaki 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 deities in the land which is believed to be the origin of Sakitori Jinja.  The name of the shrine appears in Engishiki, a book on laws and customs, written during the Engi era.  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.

East of the shrine building of Sakitori Jinja 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 deities of 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).

Yakuyoke Inari-sha
(main shrine)

Yakuyoke Inari-sha
(branch shrine)

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

Shinomiya Higashi-cho Inari-sha

Tori-cho Inari-sha

There are two more Inari shrines, originally standing outside Sakitori Jinja; Shinomiya Higashi-cho Inari-sha (四之宮東町稲荷社) standing along the sando and Tori-cho Inari-sha (通町稲荷社) standing behind Sakitori Jinja on the northwest side.

Sorei-sha (left) and the goshinboku (right)

Next to the goshinboku is another subordinate shrine, Sorei-sha (祖霊社), enshrining the souls of all the chief priests of Sakitori Jinja and the people who contributed to the shrine.