大杉神社 Oosugi-jinjya Osugi Shrine
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Osugi Shrine, or popularly called “Anba-sama,” is located in Awa, Inashiki City, Ibaraki Pref. It was a “gosha” shrine in the old shrine rank system and after the World War II it was designated as a “Beppyo Jinjya,” meaning that comes under the direct control of “Jinjya Honcho (Association of Shinto Shrines).” This shrine is the head shrine of all Osugi Shrines that are distributed in Kanto and Tohoku Regions. The name Osugi (meaning a large cedar) comes from the large cedar tree that stands in the precinct and worshipped as the sacred body of the deity. It is said that the shrine was first founded in 767, and in 1241 the deities of Oonamuchi no Mikoto and Sukunahikona no Mikoto were invited from Imamiya Shrine in Kyoto and enshrined here. Since the Edo period the shrine, as the deity of smallpox prevention and waterway traffic, has been widely worshipped by the people living in Kanto Region and on the Pacific side of Tohoku Region. It is said that in the early Edo period the monk Tenkai, who served as a consultant to the Shogun and stayed at Fudoin Temple in nearby town of Edosaki, was on board a ship in Tojo-no-ura, prayed to the large cedar tree in this shrine and successfully achieved a miracle of bringing about rainfall. He designated this shrine as the guard of “Kimon (ominous direction)” for Edo Castle, and took the position of the resident priest of Annonji Temople, which was an attached temple of this shrine. Due to these links, Annonji Temple has been a Chokkentai temple (directly linked temple) of Nikko-zan Rinnoji Temple, where a mausoleum of the 3rd Tokugawa Shogun is located.
- address
- Aba, Inashiki, Ibaraki Prefecture, 300-0621
- name
- Osugi Shrine