Hachiman faith

This is a shrine worship called Hachiman Shrine or Wakamiya Hachimansha, which are enshrined all over Japan. The main shrine is Usa Jingu Shrine in Usa City, Oita Prefecture, and enshrines Hachiman Okami, Hime Okami, and Empress Jingu as deities, with Hachiman Okami and Hachiman Daibosatsu as objects of worship. It is the most widespread shrine worship in Japan, with over 40,000 Hachiman shrines across the country. Hachiman is generally said to be the god of war and the guardian deity of Buddhism, but the origins and development of this worship are complex, with various theories including that he is the god of the sea, the god of blacksmiths, the god of the Hata clan, the god of slash-and-burn farming, and the god of Haruman. According to the Kojiki and Nihon shoki, Usahiko and Usahime could be found in Usa, Buzen Province, and there was a deity called Usakami, worshipped by the Usa Kuni no Miyatsuko. However, the legend of Usa Hachimangu Shrine states that in 571 (the 32nd year of the reign of Emperor Kinmei), there was a blacksmith who could produce miraculous powers near the Hishikataike pond in Usa County, and when Ogami Higi prayed to him, a three-year-old boy appeared, erected a bamboo leaf, and proclaimed that he was the spirit of Emperor Yahatagami Ojin, and after that, Usakami was hidden by "Yahatakami." Special rituals in Usa include the Hojoe and Gyokoe ceremonies, and when we look at the groups who perform these rituals, we see that people from what is thought to be the "Ancient Toyokuni" (Toyo Province), such as Tagawa and Kyoto counties in Buzen Province, and the "Ancient Yamakuni" (Kamitsumi-ke and Shimo-ge counties in Buzen Province), offer divine blessings to the "Yahata-no-kami." If this is a ritual from the beginning, it may have been first performed in Ayahata-go, Tsuiki-gun, Buzen Province, or Yamada-go, Kamitsumi-gun, and later moved to Usa. Priests appear to have been Toyokuni Kifu in the 5th century and Toyokuni Hoshi in the 6th century, both of whom visited the emperor to treat his illness. It is believed that around this time, Soga no Umako sent Okami Higi to Usa, bestowing the divinity of Emperor Ojin on "Yahata-no-kami." The shrine became an official shrine in 712 (Wado 5), and cooperated in the casting of the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple during the Tenpyo period (729-749) and became its guardian deity. After that, Hachiman became known nationwide through the provincial temples. When Todaiji Temple was built, Hachiman was given the rank of Ippon (first rank) and Hime was given the rank of Nihon (second rank) in 749, and the following year, the highest number of fiefs at the time, 1,400, was granted. Since then, the shrine has been involved in important national affairs, and after oracles have thwarted Dokyo's ambitions for the heavenly throne, regular imperial envoys have been sent to Usa. In 781 (Ten'o 1), the god was bestowed the title of Bodhisattva, and when he was enshrined at Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, he was revered as the founder of the imperial family and the second imperial shrine. He also became the clan deity of the Genji clan, and spread throughout the Kanto and Tohoku regions. When Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine was enshrined, he was revered by medieval samurai, who came to call him "God is Hachiman," and he was enshrined throughout the country. Hachiman was originally associated with Taoism as well as Buddhism, and is closely linked to mountain worship. During the Heian period, he became associated with the worship of a mother and child goddess that was widespread in Kyushu, and the divine mother was called Ninmon Bosatsu, and became a commoner's worship of safe childbirth, agriculture, production, and so on, and he flourished on the Kunisaki Peninsula of Bungo, with Mt. Rokugo as his base.

[Nakano Hatano]

"A Study of the History of Hachiman Faith, by Nakano Hatano, Volumes 1 and 2 (Expanded Edition, 1975, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

全国各地に鎮座する八幡神社または若宮八幡社などの名でよばれる神社信仰。本宮は大分県宇佐(うさ)市に鎮座する宇佐神宮で、八幡大神(はちまんおおかみ)、比売大神(ひめおおかみ)、神功(じんぐう)皇后を祭神とし、八幡大神、八幡大菩薩(だいぼさつ)が信仰の対象。わが国の神社信仰のなかでもっとも普及した信仰で、全国に4万余の八幡社がある。八幡神は一般に戦(いくさ)の神、仏教守護神といわれるが、その信仰の発生、発達は複雑で、海の神、鍛冶(かじ)の神、秦(はた)氏の神、焼畑の神、ハルマンの神などの諸説があった。記紀によると豊前(ぶぜん)国宇佐には宇佐津彦、宇佐津姫がみえ、宇佐国造(くにのみやつこ)が祀(まつ)る宇佐神があった。しかし宇佐八幡宮の縁起には、571年（欽明天皇32）のころ宇佐郡菱形池(ひしかたいけ)辺に奇瑞(きずい)を現す鍛冶翁(かじのおきな)がいて、大神比義(おおがのひぎ)が祈ると、3歳の童児が現れ竹葉を立てて八幡神応神(やはたがみおうじん)天皇の霊であると託宣したとあり、その後は宇佐神は「やはた神」に隠れてしまう。宇佐の特殊神事に放生会(ほうじょうえ)、行幸会(ぎょうこうえ)があるが、その祭祀(さいし)集団をみると、豊前国田川郡と京都(みやこ)郡などの「古代とよ国」と、豊前国上毛(かみつみけ)郡と下毛郡などの「古代やま国」とみられる土地の人々が「やはた神」に神験を奉っている。これが原始からの神事ならば、創祀の地は豊前国筑城(ついき)郡綾幡郷(あやはたごう)あるいは上毛郡山田郷で、のちに宇佐に移ったのかもしれない。司祭者は5世紀には豊国奇巫(きふ)、6世紀には豊国法師らしく、いずれも天皇の治病に参内している。このころ蘇我馬子(そがのうまこ)が大神比義を宇佐に遣わし、「やはた神」に応神天皇の神格を与えたのではないかとみられる。同宮は712年（和銅5）に官社となり、天平(てんぴょう)年間（729～749）の東大寺大仏鋳造に協力してその鎮守となり、以後、国分寺を通じて八幡神は全国的になった。東大寺ができると749年に八幡神に一品(いっぽん)、比咩(ひめ)神に二品(にほん)の神階、翌年、当時最高の封戸(ふこ)1400戸が授けられた。以後国家の大事に関係し、託宣により道鏡(どうきょう)の天位の野望を退けたので、宇佐へ恒例の勅使が続いた。この神に781年（天応1）菩薩号が贈られ、石清水八幡宮(いわしみずはちまんぐう)に勧請(かんじょう)されると、皇室の太祖(たいそ)、第二の宗廟(そうびょう)と仰がれた。また、源氏の氏神となり、関東・東北地方に進出し、鶴岡八幡宮(つるがおかはちまんぐう)が勧請されると中世武士の崇敬を受け、「神は八幡」といわれ、全国に勧請された。八幡神は仏教のみでなく当初は道教とも融合していて、山岳信仰との関係が深い。平安時代には、九州に広まっていた母子神信仰と結び付き、神母は人聞(にんもん)菩薩とよばれて安産、農耕、生産などの庶民信仰となり、六郷(ろくごう)山を本拠として豊後(ぶんご)の国東(くにさき)半島に栄えた。

［中野幡能］

『中野幡能著『八幡信仰史の研究』上下（増補版・1975・吉川弘文館）』

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