Aso Shrine

Located in Miyaji, Ichinomiya-cho, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture, the shrine enshrines the twelve Aso deities, namely Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto (first shrine), Asotsuhime (second shrine), Kunitatsu no Kami (third shrine), Himemiko (fourth shrine), Hikomiko (five shrine), Wakahime (sixth shrine), Niihiko (seventh shrine), Niihime (eighth shrine), Wakahiko (ninth shrine), Yahime (tenth shrine), Hayamikatama (eleventh shrine), and Kanakori (twelfth shrine). In addition, the shrine enshrines the 3,132 deities from around the country, as listed in the Engishiki, in a separate hall. Ichinomiya Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto was the son of Emperor Jinmu's son Kamiyaimimi no Mikoto, and Ninomiya Aso-tsuhime no Mikoto was his wife, and all the others were blood relatives. According to the shrine's legend, Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto was specially ordered by Emperor Jinmu to protect Kyushu, opened up the Aso Crater Lake, which was a large lake at the time, and developed beautiful fields, and taught the local people how to farm and raise livestock. The main shrine was founded by his son Hayabetama no Mikoto, who enshrined it during the reign of Emperor Korei. The shrine has been highly revered by the Imperial Court since ancient times, and in 859 (Jogan 1), it was given the rank of Shonii and designated as a Myojin Taisha (Great Shrine of the Engisha Era), and in 1017 (Kannin 1), during the reign of Emperor Goichijo, it received a once-in-a-lifetime large offering. Ichinomiya, Higo Province (Kumamoto Prefecture). The shrine had a vast estate and was revered by military commanders in the Middle Ages, and the Daiguji family played an active role during the conflict between the Northern and Southern Courts, but the estate was confiscated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the shrine's former prosperity declined. In 1914 (Taisho 3), it became a government-sponsored shrine. Since its founding, the Aso Daiguji, a descendant of the enshrined deity, has served the shrine to this day.

The festivals include the annual Onda Festival on July 28th, the Tadukuri Festival in March, and the Tanomi Shinto Ritual in September, which are well-known ancient special rituals. These have been designated as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties by the nation as "Aso's Agricultural Rites."

In 2007, the shrine buildings, including the temple and tower gate (which collapsed in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, but restoration work is currently underway), were designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

[Junichi Kamata]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

熊本県阿蘇市一の宮町宮地(いちのみやまちみやじ)に鎮座。阿蘇十二神、すなわち一宮健磐竜命(たけいわたつのみこと)、二宮阿蘇都比咩(あそつひめ)命、三宮国竜神(くにたつのかみ)、四宮比咩御子(ひめみこ)神、五宮彦御子(ひこみこ)神、六宮若比咩(わかひめ)神、七宮新彦(にいひこ)神、八宮新比咩(にいひめ)神、九宮若彦(わかひこ)神、十宮弥比咩(やひめ)神、十一宮速瓶玉(はやみかたま)命、十二宮金凝(かなこり)神を祀(まつ)り、さらに別殿に『延喜式(えんぎしき)』に記す全国3132座の神を祀る。一宮健磐竜命は神武(じんむ)天皇の子神八井耳(かんやいみみ)命の子、二宮阿蘇都比咩命はその妃(きさき)で、そのほかはすべてその血縁関係にあたる。社伝によれば、健磐竜命は神武天皇の特命を受けて九州鎮護の任にあたり、当時大湖水であった阿蘇火口湖を開いて美田を開発し、住民に農耕の道、畜産の法を教えたといい、その子速瓶玉命によって孝霊(こうれい)天皇の代に祀られたのが本社の創建という。古来朝廷の崇敬厚く、859年（貞観1）に正二位、延喜の制で名神大社とされ、1017年（寛仁1）、後一条(ごいちじょう)天皇のとき一代一度の大奉幣(だいほうべい)にあずかる。肥後国（熊本県）一宮。広大な社領をもち、中世にも武将に崇敬され、南北朝の争乱期に大宮司家が活躍したが、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉により社領を没収され、往時の勢いは衰えた。1914年（大正3）に官幣大社となる。創建以来、祭神の子孫阿蘇大宮司が奉仕し現在に至っている。

　祭礼には、例祭7月28日の御田植(おたうえ)神幸式（おんだ祭）、3月の田作(たづくり)祭、9月の田の実神事などがあり、古来の特殊神事をよく伝えている。これらは、「阿蘇の農耕祭事」として国の重要無形民俗文化財に指定されている。

　なお、2007年には、神殿や楼門などの社殿（2016年の熊本地震で倒壊したが、復旧工事が進んでいる）が国の重要文化財に指定された。

［鎌田純一］

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