The Salad Bowl.
Vol. V, No. 6. July 1997.
(Historic Sites in Shizuoka City)
Kusanagi Shrine
One of the oldest shinto shrines in eastern Shizuoka city is located near the foot of Mt. Udo, about a kilometer south of
the Kusanagi JR Station. Built sometime prior to 858 A.D., this shrine commemorates Prince Yamatotakeru, a mythical warrior.
According to legend, he was the second son of Emperor Keikou, who reigned two millennia ago. When he was sixteen, he was
ordered to subjugate an indigenous tribe in Kyuushuu known as the Kumaso. Disguised as a lady, he approached the enemy camp,
then attacked boldly. Returning to the imperial court as a hero, he was ordered to quell another group to the northeast known
as the Ezo. Yamatotakeru made a pilgrimage to Ise Shrine before this exploit. His aunt, high priestess at that shrine, gave him
a magic sword and bag.
Marching forward, the prince's forces encountered resistance on a broad, grassy plain whose actual location is unclear. Some
accounts place it near Sagami, others at the Kusanagi area of in Shizuoka, and yet others in Yaizu. At any rate, when the forces under Yamatotakeru advanced,
the Ezo set their fields ablaze. Using his magic sword and bag, Yamatotakeru reputedly changed the wind direction. The fire advanced towards
the hostile forces and the prince mowed down the grass around his troops to protect them. In this way, the power of the Japanese
imperial court was extended and Yamatotakeru became a mythic hero.
Renown not only for his military prowess, but also for his good looks, drinking ability, and poetry, Lord Imagawa, Takeda Shingen,
Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu all paid their respects to Yamatotakeru's spirit at the Kusanagi Shrine in Shizuoka. The Meiji,
Taisho, and Showa Emperors also made ceremonial visits here. In 1906 the Japanese Imperial Army erected a large memorial
tablet in the shrine to honor casualties of the Russo-Japanese War.
Since 1543 Kusanagi Shrine has been renown for its traditional rockets, which are of two varieties: smoky ones used during the day
and fiery ones used at night. Long ago, these rockets served as warning signals of approaching enemies to local lords. The missiles,
which soar 300-400 meters into the sky, can be seen from Sunpu castle or Toushouguu shrine.
Each year on a Sunday near Sep. 20th a festival is held at this shrine. Rockets are launched and many trinkets are on sale. Kiyozo
Mori, the 39th priest of this shrine, also performs ritual ablutions. The festival begins at about 11:00 A.M. and lasts until 9:00 P.M.
Though Kusanagi shrine was built primarily in Yamatotakeru's honor, votive offerings to eighteen other deities can be found within
the precincts. The Shinto pantheon is well represented and there is an interesting balance between mountain, ocean, agricultural,
and commercial deities. Deities also associated with the imperial household
are also well represented. Within the shrine precincts is a sacred camphor which tree more than a millennia old. With a twisted
girth surpassing twenty meters, it has an eerie charm. A poem by
Shibata Touhou appears near this camphor.
It takes about 15 minutes to reach Kusanagi shrine from the Kusanagi JR station on foot and some sections of the hike are pleasant.
www.tnewfields.info/sb/kusa.htm
Copyright 1997 by Tim Newfields and the Shizuoka City International Association