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46-571: The shrine was founded in Kyushu during the Nara period . Ancient records place the foundation of Usa Jingū in the Wadō era (708–714). A temple called Miroku-ji (弥勒寺) was built next to it in 779, making it what is believed to be the first shrine-temple ( jingū-ji ) ever. The resulting mixed complex, called Usa Hachimangu-ji ( 宇佐八幡宮寺 , Usa Hachiman Shrine Temple ) , lasted over a millennium until 1868, when

92-480: A Buddhist monk named Dōkyō . An oracle was said to have proclaimed that the monk should be made emperor; and the kami Hachiman at Usa was consulted for verification. The empress died before anything further could develop. In the 16th century, the temple was razed to the ground and repeatedly attacked by the Christian -sympathizing lord of Funai Ōtomo Yoshishige . The wife of Yoshishige, Ōtomo-Nata Jezebel

138-485: A slope car was installed to assist elderly and wheelchair-bound visitors in reaching the Upper Shrine. The former Usa Sangū Line ( 大分交通宇佐参宮線 ) once connected Bungotakada to the former Usa Hachiman Railway Station ( 宇佐八幡駅 ) at Usa Jingū. This train line was closed in 1965 at which point the station at Usa Jingū was demolished and turned into a parking lot. The Steam Locomotive Krauss No. 26, which once ran on

184-553: A conventional practice. Over the course of centuries, a vast number of Hachiman shrines have extended the reach of the kami at Usa: In 859, a branch offshoot was established to spread Hachiman's protective influence over Kyoto ; and this Iwashimizu Hachimangū still draws worshipers and tourists today. In 923, the Hakozaki-gū was established at Fukuoka as a branch of the Usa Shrine. In 1063, Tsurugaoka Hachimangū

230-580: A member of the Fujiwara clan, Hirotsugu, launched a rebellion from his base in Fukuoka, Kyushu. Although the rebellion was defeated, there is no doubt that the emperor was shocked and frightened by these events, and he moved the palace three times in only five years from 740, until he eventually returned to Nara. In the late Nara period, financial burdens on the state increased, and the court began dismissing nonessential officials. In 792 universal conscription

276-477: A slaughterhouse or a fishermen; this can often take place on auspicious days in the Buddhist calendar in order for the merit of the act to be multiplied thousands of times. Animals are blessed before being safely returned to their natural environment as prayers are made and often dedicated to someone who is ill or has died, with the belief that person will benefit too from this dedication. In Tibet an animal

322-616: A unique culture that was different from the Japanese people. They were eventually subjugated by the Ritsuryō . Relations with the Korean kingdom of Silla were initially peaceful, with regular diplomatic exchanges. The rise of Balhae north of Silla destabilized Japan-Silla relations. Balhae sent its first mission in 728 to Nara, which welcomed them as the successor state to Goguryeo , with which Japan had been allied until Silla unified

368-479: Is accompanied by sacred kagura dances meant to commemorate the souls of fish killed by fishermen during the previous year. Hōjō-e , which contains both elements of Buddhism and Shinto and is now performed in many shrines throughout country, first took place at Usa Jingū. The event begins with the eight kilometer carrying of a mikoshi from Usa Jingū to the banks of the Yorimo River ( 寄藻川 ). Upon arrival,

414-412: Is considered to be the birthplace of mikoshi . The earliest recorded use of a mikoshi was in the 8th century during the Nara period . In 749, the shrine's mikoshi was used to carry the spirit of Hachiman from Kyushu to Nara , where the deity was to guard construction of the great Daibutsu at Tōdai-ji . By the 10th century, carrying mikoshi into the community during shrine festivals had become

460-506: Is often marked by a ribbon to indicate that the life of the animal has been liberated, with the general understanding that it will be allowed to die of natural causes. The practise in Tibetan Buddhism has been championed in recent times by Chatral Rinpoche , Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche and Ogyen Trinley Dorje . Although this is seen to be the traditional way of carrying out this practise, Ogyen Trinley Dorje has commented that

506-697: The Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki were political, used to record and therefore justify and establish the supremacy of the rule of the emperors within Japan . With the spread of written language, the writing of Japanese poetry , known in Japanese as waka , began. The largest and longest-surviving collection of Japanese poetry, the Man'yōshū , was compiled from poems mostly composed between 600 and 759 CE. This, and other Nara texts, used Chinese characters to express

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552-582: The Hyakumantō Darani — many examples of which survive. The small scrolls, dating from 770, are among the earliest printed works in the world. Shōtoku had the charms printed to placate the Buddhist clergy. She may even have wanted to make Dōkyō emperor, but she died before she could act. Her actions shocked Nara society and led to the exclusion of women from imperial succession and the removal of Buddhist priests from positions of political authority. Many of

598-840: The Tang court every twenty years. Many Japanese students, both lay and Buddhist priests, studied in Chang'an and Luoyang . One student named Abe no Nakamaro passed the Chinese civil examination to be appointed to governmental posts in China. He served as governor-general in Annam (Chinese Vietnam ) from 761 through 767. Many students who returned from China, such as Kibi no Makibi , were promoted to high government posts. Tang China never sent official envoys to Japan, for Japanese kings, or "emperors" as they styled themselves, did not seek investiture from

644-523: The Three Kingdoms of Korea . Life release Life release , also known as merit release, mercy release, fangsheng (from Mandarin Chinese 放生) or prayer animal release, is a Buddhist practise of releasing animals held captive with the presumed intention of saving their lives, if they were destined for slaughter, or of giving them back their freedom, as animals nowadays are commonly sold with

690-768: The Tōdai-ji (literally Eastern Great Temple) was built. Within it was placed the Great Buddha Daibutsu : a 16-metre-high, gilt-bronze statue. This Buddha was identified with the Sun Goddess, and a gradual syncretism of Buddhism and Shinto ensued. Shōmu declared himself the "Servant of the Three Treasures " of Buddhism: the Buddha, the law or teachings of Buddhism, and the Buddhist community. The central government established temples called kokubunji in

736-465: The mikoshi is greeted by Buddhist monks from the Rokugō Manzan temples who chant sutras to "welcome the deity." This is a clear display of Usa Jingū's historical connection to shinbutsu-shūgō . The following day, mollusks are released into the river. The shrine attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors on and surrounding New Year's Day for Hatsumōde (初詣), or the first shrine visit of

782-423: The provinces . The Tōdai-ji was the kokubunji of Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture ). Although these efforts stopped short of making Buddhism the state religion, Nara Buddhism heightened the status of the imperial family. Buddhist influence at court increased under the two reigns of Shōmu's daughter. As Empress Kōken (r. 749–758) she brought many Buddhist priests into court. Kōken abdicated in 758 on

828-465: The syncretism of Buddhism and Shinto . For this reason, Usa Jingū and the Rokugō Manzan temples are considered to be the birthplace of shinbutsu-shūgō . Usa Jingū is today the center from which over 40,000 branch Hachiman shrines have grown. Usa's Hachiman shrine first appears in the chronicles of Imperial history during the reign of Empress Shōtoku . The empress allegedly had an affair with

874-519: The Buddhist part was removed to comply with the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act . Part of the remains of Miroku-ji can still be found within the grounds of Usa Jingū. In connection with Miroku-ji, many Tendai temples were established across the Kunisaki Peninsula forming Rokugō Manzan (六郷満山). The resulting culture is said to be the first to have practiced shinbutsu-shūgō (神仏習合), or

920-689: The Chinese emperor. A local Chinese government in the Lower Yangzi Valley sent a mission to Japan to return Japanese envoys who entered China through Balhae . The Chinese local mission could not return home due to the An Lushan Rebellion and remained in Japan. The Hayato people (隼人) in southern Kyushu frequently resisted rule by the imperial dynasty during the Nara period. They are believed to be of Austronesian origin and had

966-539: The Japanese artworks and imported treasures from other countries during the era of Emperors Shōmu and Shōtoku are archived in Shōsō-in of Tōdai-ji temple. They are called "Shōsōin treasures" and illustrate the cosmopolitan culture known as Tempyō culture . Imported treasures show the cultural influences of Silk Road areas, including China, Korea, India, and the Islamic empire. Shosoin stores more than 10,000 paper documents,

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1012-472: The Kujaku Monkei are designated amongst Japan's National Treasures . The structures which comprise the current shrine complex were built in the middle of the 19th century. Their characteristic configuration, called Hachiman-zukuri , consists of two parallel structures with gabled roofs interconnected on the non-gabled side to form what internally is a single building. Seen from the outside, however,

1058-473: The Usa Sangū Line, has been preserved and can be seen near the parking lot and main approach of Usa Jingū. Nara period The Nara period ( 奈良時代 , Nara jidai ) of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara ). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained

1104-399: The advice of her cousin, Fujiwara no Nakamaro . When the retired empress came to favor a Buddhist faith healer named Dōkyō , Nakamaro rose up in arms in 764 but was quickly crushed. Kōken charged the ruling emperor with colluding with Nakamaro and had him deposed. Kōken reascended the throne as Empress Shōtoku (r. 764–770). The empress commissioned the printing of 1 million prayer charms —

1150-422: The capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kanmu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō , in 784, before moving to Heian-kyō , modern Kyoto , a decade later in 794. Japanese society during this period was predominantly agricultural and centered on village life. Most of the villagers followed Shintō , a religion based on the worship of natural and ancestral spirits named kami . The capital at Nara

1196-444: The city of Nara at the end of the eighth century. Shorelines and stone settings were naturalistic, different from the heavier, earlier continental mode of constructing pond edges. Two such gardens have been found at excavations; both were used for poetry-writing festivities. The Nara court aggressively imported knowledge about the Chinese civilization of its day (the Tang dynasty ) by sending diplomatic envoys known as kentōshi to

1242-460: The complex still gives the impression of being two separate buildings. The structure in front is called the ge-in, which is where the deity is said to reside during the daytime. The structure in the rear is called the nai-in, which serves as the deity's sleeping chamber during the night. The vermillion -painted Kurehashi Bridge ( 呉橋 ) at the shrine's west approach is designated as an Important Tangible Cultural Property by Ōita Prefecture. When

1288-422: The court after the death of Fujiwara no Fuhito . Fuhito was succeeded by four sons, Muchimaro , Umakai , Fusasaki , and Maro. They put Emperor Shōmu, the prince by Fuhito's daughter, on the throne. In 729, they arrested Nagaya and regained control. As a major outbreak of smallpox spread from Kyūshū in 735, all four brothers died two years later, resulting in temporary reduction in the Fujiwara dominance. In 740,

1334-434: The ecological environment, cause Invasive species , and lead to the death of released animals that do not adapt to the environment. In order to avoid the harm of improper life release, Buddhist advocate that vegetarianism is the best way of releasing life from the mouth. Life release has been practised at least since the 3rd century. It is assumed to have been a Taoist or an indigenous Chinese cultural practice according to

1380-422: The era was the permanent establishment of Buddhism . Buddhism was introduced by Baekje in the sixth century but had a mixed reception until the Nara period, when it was heartily embraced by Emperor Shōmu . Shōmu and his Fujiwara consort were fervent Buddhists and actively promoted the spread of Buddhism, making it the "guardian of the state" and a way of strengthening Japanese institutions. During Shōmu's reign,

1426-535: The explicit purpose to be released for making merit, along with gaining personal merit, or good luck, by performing the act. This practise is performed by all schools of Buddhism: Theravada , Mahayana and Vajrayana . It is known as "Tsethar" in Tibetan Buddhism . With the popularization of environmental protection knowledge in modern times, researchers and some members of religious communities have started to realize that improper life release can damage

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1472-574: The first record of the practice in the 3rd century CE, before being adopted by Chinese Buddhists in the 4th or 5th century CE. It subsequently took root in Tibet, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Taiwan. It has been performed in Japan since 676, where it is called Hōjō-e . While this practise of life release may naturally need to be spontaneous to successfully save an endangered life, life release can also be planned. Planning often involves purchasing an animal directly from

1518-527: The late eleventh century, the city was popularly called Kyoto (capital city), the name it has had ever since. Some of Japan's literary monuments were written during the Nara period, including the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki , the first national histories, compiled in 712 and 720 respectively; the Man'yōshū , an anthology of poems; and the Kaifūsō , an anthology written in kanji by Japanese emperors and princes. Another major cultural development of

1564-425: The meaning is broad and that people can use their intelligence to expand the practise in other ways; indicating that planting one tree may be more beneficial that carrying out Tsethar for many beings. Today, life release involves many types of animal, including birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals, and involves hundreds of millions of individual animals each year. It is increasingly recognized that animal release has

1610-416: The new year. Many events including kagura performances are held on these days. Goshinkosai (御神幸祭), or "Great Summer Festival", is a festival at Usa Jingū which includes a yabusame (流鏑馬) ritual, which involves mounted archery , a fireworks display, and the carrying of three kami ( Hachiman-no-Okami , Hime-no-Okami , and Empress Jingū ) in their respective mikoshi . The main hall and

1656-859: The original bridge was built is not known, but it already existed in the Kamakura period . The current bridge was built in 1622 by Hosokawa Tadatoshi , then the lord of the Kokura Domain . The worship style at Usa Jingū differs from that of other shrines. After putting a coin in the saisen box (賽銭箱, saisen-bako ), it is correct etiquette to bow twice, clap four times (rather than the usual two claps ), then bow once. The Daiko Hokubu Bus (大交北部バス) from Usa Station ( JR Kyushu Nippō Main Line ) bound for Yokkaichi or Nakatsu stops at Usa Hachiman bus stop in front of Usa Jingū. There are four round-trip buses per day from Oita Airport to Usa Jingū. In 2013,

1702-559: The potential for negative environmental impacts, including as a pathway for the introduction of invasive species into non-native environments. This may lead to biodiversity loss over time. For example, competition from American red-eared slider turtles released in China's lakes has been reported to cause death of native turtles. Further, some animals are captured for the explicit purpose of being released, or are released into environments where they are unable to survive. Two Buddhists that released hundreds of non-native crustaceans off

1748-576: The rise of taxes led to the loss or abandonment of land by many people who became the "wave people" ( furōsha ). Some of these formerly "public people" were privately employed by large landholders, and "public lands" increasingly reverted to the shōen . Factional fighting at the imperial court continued throughout the Nara period. Imperial family members, leading court families, such as the Fujiwara , and Buddhist priests all contended for influence. Earlier during this period, Prince Nagaya seized power at

1794-548: The so-called Shōsōin documents ( 正倉院文書 ) . These are records written in the reverse side of the sutra or in the wrapping of imported items that survived as a result of reusing wasted official documents. Shōsōin documents contribute greatly to the historical research of Japanese political and social systems of the Nara period, and they even can be used to trace the development of the Japanese writing systems (such as katakana ). The first authentically Japanese gardens were built in

1840-735: The sounds of Japanese , known as man'yōgana . Before the Taihō Code was established, the capital was customarily moved after the death of an emperor because of the ancient belief that a place of death was polluted. Reforms and bureaucratization of government led to the establishment of a permanent imperial capital at Heijō-kyō , or Nara , in AD 710. The capital was moved shortly (for reasons described later in this section) to Kuni-kyō (present-day Kizugawa ) in 740–744, to Naniwa-kyō (present-day Osaka ) in 744–745, to Shigarakinomiya (紫香楽宮, present-day Shigaraki ) in 745, and moved back to Nara in 745. Nara

1886-416: Was Japan's first truly urban center. It soon had a population of 200,000 (representing nearly 7% of the country's population) and some 10,000 people worked in government jobs. Economic and administrative activity increased during the Nara period. Roads linked Nara to provincial capitals, and taxes were collected more efficiently and routinely. Coins were minted, if not widely used. Outside the Nara area, there

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1932-404: Was abandoned, and district heads were allowed to establish private militia forces for local police work. Decentralization of authority became the rule despite the reforms of the Nara period. Eventually, to return control to imperial hands, the capital was moved in 784 to Nagaoka-kyō and in 794 to Heian-kyō (literally Capital of Peace and Tranquility), about twenty-six kilometers north of Nara. By

1978-459: Was established by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi to extend Hachiman's protective influence over Kamakura ; and today this branch shrine attracts more visitors than any other shrine in Japan. Because of its mixed religious ancestry , one of the important festivals at the shrine is the Hōjō-e ( 放生会 ), originally a Buddhist ceremony in which captive birds and fish are released. The ceremony, held every autumn,

2024-428: Was little commercial activity, and in the provinces the old Shōtoku land reform systems declined. By the mid-eighth century, shōen (landed estates), one of the most important economic institutions in prehistoric Japan, began to rise as a result of the search for a more manageable form of landholding. Local administration gradually became more self-sufficient, while the breakdown of the old land distribution system and

2070-415: Was modeled after Chang'an , the capital city of the Tang dynasty . In many other ways, the Japanese upper classes patterned themselves after the Chinese, including adopting the Chinese writing system, Chinese fashion, and a Chinese version of Buddhism . Concentrated efforts by the imperial court to record its history produced the first works of Japanese literature during the Nara period. Works such as

2116-798: Was the High Priestess alongside Nara Clan and resisted against her former husband's attacks. Usa Jingū was designated as the chief Shinto shrine ( ichinomiya ) for the former Buzen province . From 1871 through 1946, Usa was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha ( 官幣大社 ) , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government-supported shrines. Other similarly honored Hachiman shrines were Iwashimizu Hachimangū of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture and Hakozaki-gū of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture . Usa Jingū

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