Yagumo Jinja (八雲神社)

The entrance of Yagumo Jinja

The sando of Yagumo Jinja

There is a Shinto shrine called Yagumo Jinja (八雲神社) in the Omachi District of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Yagumo Jinja is the oldest yakuyoke (厄除け; warding off evils or bad luck) shrine in Kamakura.  In 1083, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu dropped by Kamakura on his way to Mutsu Province to help his brother, Minamoto no Yoshiie, in the Gosannen War.  When he heard the news that Kamakura was hit by a plague, it is said he enshrined the deity of the shrine of Gion-sha in Kyoto known for yakuyoke and prayed which settled the plague.  Since then, the shrine has also been known as "Gion-sama (祇園さま)."

Yagumo Jinja (八雲神社)

According to the sign placed at the shrine, records show the shrine's mikoshi was carried to the kubo's mansion for a ceremony when Ashikaga Shigeuji held the position of Kanto kanrei* during the Muromachi period.

During the Sengoku period, Hojo Ujinao, the castellan of Odawara Castle, issued a prohibition order penalizing any disrespectful behaviors or acts toward the shrine's festivals and ceremonies.

In 1604, Tokugawa Ieyasu granted land worth 5 kanmon of Eiraku-sen to the shrine.

During the Meiji Restoration, the shrine name was changed from Gion Tenno-sha (祇園天王社) to Yagumo Jinja.

The shrine currently enshrines the deities of Susanoo-no-Mikoto (須佐之男命), Inadahime-no-Mikoto (稲田比女命), Hachioji-no-Mikoto (八王子命), and Satake-shi no Mitama (佐竹氏の霊).  "Mitama" means spirit(s) in Japanese.  The Satake clan (佐竹氏) is said to have descended from Minamoto no Yoshimitsu.

From the left: Oiwa Inari-sha, Inari Jinja, and Suwa Jinja

Mitake Mitsumine-sha

Standing in front of the haiden of Yagumo Jinja, to the left are the subordinate shrines of Suwa Jinja (諏訪神社), Inari Jinja (稲荷神社), and Oiwa Inari-sha (於岩稲荷社).

To the right, behind Yagumo Jinja, are the torii, sando, and the shrine building of another subordinate shrine, Mitake Mitsumine-sha (御嶽三峰社).

The path running next to Mitake Mitsumine-sha is the entrance to the Gion-yama Hiking Course.

The Hozo-in (寶蔵院) or Homotsu-den (宝物殿), standing southwest of Yagumo Jinja, stores many artifacts and mikoshi.  It is normally not open, but visitors are allowed to look through the front windows.

Mikoshi and artifacts inside the Hozo-in

There is a koshin-to standing next to the the first torii, along the sando, which is designated as cultural property by the city of Kamakura.

Koshin-to

* Other sources say the position Ashikaga Shigeuji held was Kamakura Kubo, also known as Kanto Kubo, and under this was the position of Kanto Kanrei.  Some sources also say the position of Kamakura Kubo was also called Kanto Kanrei.