User:Immanuelle/Hokkaidō Shrine

**Hokkaidō Shrine** (北海道神宮, *Hokkaidō Jingū*)
Hokkaidō Shrine (北海道神宮, Hokkaidō Jingū)
	Hokkaido Shrine
Religion
Affiliation	Shinto
Deity	Ōkunitama [simple], Ōkuninushi, and Sukunabikona
Location
Location	Maruyama Park [en], 474 Miyagaoka, Chūō-ku, Sapporo [en], Hokkaido [en] 064-8505, Japan
	Shown within Japan
Geographic coordinates	43°3′15.24697″N 141°18′27.73923″E / 43.0542352694°N 141.3077053417°E
Architecture
Date established	1871

The Hokkaidō Shrine (北海道神宮, Hokkaidō Jingū), named the Sapporo Shrine (札幌神社, Sapporo Jinja) until 1964, is a Shinto shrine located in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is in Maruyama Park [en], Chūō-ku [en], Sapporo, Hokkaidō, the Hokkaido Shrine enshrines four kami including the soul of the Emperor Meiji. Many Exploration of Hokkaidō such as Mamiya Rinzō [en] are also enshrined.

Overview

The area of the Hokkaido Shrine is 180,000 m²,^[1] and is adjacent to Maruyama Park [en]. During the season which cherry blossoms in the area bloom, the shrine is crowded with people enjoying Hanami. Many people also visit the shrine during Japanese New Year to go Hatsumoude.

From June 14 to 16 in every year, the Main festival of Hokkaido Shrine, also called "Sapporo Festival" (Sapporo Matsuri), is held, and the line of people bearing Mikoshi parades down the street which leads to the shrine. It also manages Scouting activities.^[2]

History

Early Shrine Construction and Indigenous Influence

Before the Meiji period, Hokkaido's population primarily consisted of the indigenous Ainu people. The Matsumae clan played a crucial role in early shrine construction, especially around Hakodate. They established shrines, often dedicated to Hachiman, in their military outposts as they pushed the Ainu into the interior. By 1718, there were 140 shrines, mainly along the coast, dedicated to various kami linked to specific occupations. Inari shrines, associated with agriculture, forestry, and commerce, were the most numerous, along with shrines devoted to water deities like Konpira [en], the Munakata goddesses, Funadama, and Sumiyoshi..^[3]^{: 392–394}

Meiji Period Developments

The Meiji government's policies found little resistance in Hokkaido, as the region lacked strong prior religious commitments. This allowed the government to establish shrines as communal centers, aligning with settlers' interests and national initiatives to develop the territory and unify the populace through shrine worship. The Matsumae domain formed the "Justice Corps" (Seigitai) to enforce the separation of kami from Buddhas, leading to the destruction or redefinition of many Buddhist-influenced deities.^[3]^{: 392–394}

The Council of Divinities mandated the worship of the Three Pioneer Deities (Kaitaku Sanjin) — Ōkunitama, Sukunabiko, and Ōnamuchi — in the remaining shrines. With little preexisting veneration for these deities, there was minimal opposition to this change. Settler-soldiers, or Tonden-hei, who fought in the Boshin and Seinan Wars, were deified and enshrined at the Hakodate Gokoku Shrine [ja], which houses a graveyard of around fifty settler-soldiers.^[3]^{: 392–394}

Establishment and Growth of Hokkaido Shrine

In 1869, by an order of the Emperor Meiji, a ceremony to enshrine three kami (Shinto deities); Ōkunitama, Ōkuninushi, and Sukunabikona, was held in Tokyo. They were enshrined as the three pioneer kami (開拓三神, Kaitaku Sanjin), and they were later moved to Sapporo by officers in the Kaitakushi, the previous government of Hokkaidō prefecture.^[1] An interim building of the shrine for three kami was constructed in 1870 in Sapporo, although its location was different from the current point where the Hokkaidō Shrine stands. In 1871, the shrine was erected in its current place and named "Sapporo Shrine" (Sapporo Jinja),^[1] and on September 14 an inaugural ceremony was held.

The three pioneer kami were important in the development of a "pioneer theology" which was significant to the early development of State Shinto.^[4]^: 61^[5]^: 53–54

Sapporo emerged as Hokkaido's main city, shifting the center of shrine life there. The Hokkaido Shrine (Hokkaido Jinja, later Hokkaido Jingū) was founded in 1871 and became the island's largest and most splendid shrine by 1899, the only Imperial Shrine of Major Grade (Kanpei Taisha).^[6].^[3]^{: 392–394} It enshrined the Three Pioneer Deities and played a significant role in the region's spiritual life.^[3]^{: 392–394}

Other significant Meiji period shrines in Sapporo included the Sapporo Nation-Protecting Shrine (Sapporo Gokoku Jinja, founded 1879), which originally enshrined Tonden troops killed in the Seinan War. Over time, it incorporated the war dead from subsequent conflicts, totaling 25,518 kami by 2009. Each conflict is commemorated with a separate memorial. The Sapporo All-Spirits Shrine (Sapporo Sōreisha) was established as a Shinto funeral facility, combined with an ossuary.^[3]^{: 392–394}

Government Support and Local Contributions

From 1873 to 1883, the central government allocated an average of about 2,500 yen annually for Hokkaido's shrines. Although regional and local governments' contributions are not well-documented until the early 20th century, it is assumed that local people provided much of the necessary funds for shrine construction. National budget appropriations, however small, were essential to give shrines a "public" status and uphold their role as symbols of national unity (kokka no sōshi).^[3]^{: 392–394}

Postwar history

In 1964, Sapporo-jinja was renamed the "Hokkaidō Shrine" (Hokkaidō Jingū). The soul of Emperor Meiji was also newly enshrined there in 1964.^[1] The building was destroyed by a fire in 1974, but was later restored in 1978.

Gallery

Daini-Torii, second torii gate of Hokkaido Shrine
Daini-Torii, second torii gate of Hokkaido Shrine
Daini-Torii, second torii gate of Hokkaido Shrine
Daini-Torii, second torii gate of Hokkaido Shrine
Daini-Torii, second torii gate of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine during prayer meeting
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine
Haiden in snow, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Haiden in snow, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Haiden in snow, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Haiden in snow, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Haiden in snow, main worship hall of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shrine in snow, general view of Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Hotaki-jinja, subshrine dedicated to a bank
Hotaki-jinja, subshrine dedicated to a bank
Hotaki-jinja, subshrine dedicated to a bank
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Autumn leaves at the shrine
Memorials and monuments, various memorials and monuments at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, various memorials and monuments at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, various memorials and monuments at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, various memorials and monuments at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Haiku Monument of Kojoshi Hasebe at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Komainu (guardian lion-dog) statue at Hotaki Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Komainu (guardian lion-dog) statue at Hotaki Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Monument of Kaun Shirano at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Monument to Development of Karafuto at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Monument to Planting 150 Cherry Trees at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Monument to Planting for Takashiro Sudo at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Monument to Plum Grove at Maruyama
Memorials and monuments, Monument to the Russo-Japanese War at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Monument to Singers' Soul at Maruyama
Memorials and monuments, Monument to the 50th Anniversary Gate of Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Monument to Victory Prayer at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Tanka Monument of Ei'ichi Toyama at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Tanka Monument of Shuzo Nakayama at Hokkaido Shrine
Memorials and monuments, Tanka Monument of Yoshio Miyazaki at Hokkaido Shrine
Cherry blossoms at the shrine
Cherry blossoms at the shrine
Cherry blossoms at the shrine
Cherry blossoms at the shrine
Sapporo Matsuri, main festival of Hokkaido Shrine
Sapporo Matsuri, main festival of Hokkaido Shrine
Sapporo Matsuri, main festival of Hokkaido Shrine
Sapporo Matsuri, main festival of Hokkaido Shrine
Sapporo Matsuri, main festival of Hokkaido Shrine
Sapporo Matsuri, main festival of Hokkaido Shrine
Sapporo Matsuri, main festival of Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon (Gate) at Hokkaido Shrine
Shinmon in snow, gate at Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shinmon in snow, gate at Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shinmon in snow, gate at Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shinmon in snow, gate at Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shinmon in snow, gate at Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow
Shinmon in snow, gate at Hokkaido Shrine covered in snow