Yoshino Mikumari Shrine

Located in Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture. Enshrining Ama no Mikumari no Mikoto and six other deities. There are records of the shrine receiving offerings from the Imperial Court for rain since the end of the 7th century. In the Engishiki, it is listed as one of the 85 rain-bringing deities, and is also a Myojin Taisha. In 859 (Jogan 1), it was conferred the rank of Shogo no Ge. Originally, it was a deity in charge of water distribution, but later, Mikumari became corrupted to Mikomori, and it was called Komori Myojin, and people began to believe that it was a deity of child-rearing or safe childbirth. The shrine buildings, which consist of the main hall, offering hall, worship hall, tower gate, and corridor, were rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1604 (Keicho 9) and are designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The wooden seated statue of Tamayorihime was made in the Kamakura period and is a national treasure. The annual festival is held on the third Saturday of October.

[Kumagaya Yasutaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良県吉野郡吉野町吉野山に鎮座。天水分命(あまのみくまりのみこと)ほか六神を祀(まつ)る。7世紀末以来、朝廷から祈雨(きう)の奉幣を受けた記録がある。『延喜式(えんぎしき)』には祈雨神八五座の一に列し、名神(みょうじん)大社でもある。859年（貞観1）正(しょう)五位下(げ)を奉叙された。本来は水の配分をつかさどる神であるが、のちミクマリをミコモリと訛(なま)り、子守明神と称されたように、子育ての神あるいは安産の神とする信仰が生じた。本殿、幣殿、拝殿、楼門、回廊などからなる社殿は、1604年（慶長9）に豊臣秀頼(とよとみひでより)が再建したもので国の重要文化財に指定されている。木造の玉依姫坐像(たまよりひめざぞう)は鎌倉期の作で国宝である。例祭は10月第三土曜日。

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