Hachiman!

"Shrines of the City. Seventy-eight in total, of which eight bear the name Hachiman..."

The philosopher Tanabe Marebumi, writing in the late 18th century, began his record of Sendai's shrines with these words. All around Japan, there are shrines to Hachiman who is famous as the kami of war. At left is a photo of a scroll depicting Hachiman in the guise of a Buddhist monk.

During the Edo period, there were three shrines that were given particularly special treatment within Sendai. Two of them were to Hachiman, one was to the deified Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the last shogunal dynasty.

I'd like to talk a little bit about each of them below. During the Edo period, while the other 24 districts then part of Sendai were under the jurisdiction of the city magistrate (machi-bugyo), these three shrines and their surrounding neighborhoods were under the special supervision of the Date administration's Temples-and-shrines office. (Mihara, Kyodoshi Sendai Mimibukuro, p. 124) Of the three, I have visited Osaki Hachiman and Tosho-gu in the fall of 2005.

Consider this a "miscellany" post.

Dainenji, the Date funerary temple

According to this post on the "Oshu Katakura-gumi" blog, the Date family's funerary temple of Dainenji has sustained immense damage. They included some pictures from Dainenji. It almost looks like the Roman ruins I've seen in the past. The Date family, for those unaware of the region's history, was the ruling family of the feudal domain of Sendai, which encompassed all of modern Miyagi Prefecture and parts of adjoining prefectures as well. The same blog posted a screencap of what looks like an open letter from Date Yasumune, current head of the family. Part of it is cut off, but this is my translation of the rest of it.

"....as well as visiting [shrines], from now I believe we must restore the historical heritage [sites], as well as protect them. But in the midst of such great devastation, I have no choice but to ask all of you for your help. Please take in and accept this sentiment, and provide [me/us] with the reinforcing presence of your strength. Please, I humbly beseech you. Heisei 23 4/1, Yours sincerely, Sendai Date family 18th head, Date Yasumune"

I hope that Mr. Date is able to make use of his unique position to be a powerful force for good things yet to come.

Edit: Just checked Mr. Date's website, it confirms the status of Dainenji.