hi everybody
today we will be exploring the Atsuta shrine in the city of Nagoya in Japan
considered to be one of the most important shrines in the country atsuta shrine is still shrouded in mystery up to this day
upon entering the Western torii or entrance gate we came upon a small
shrine dedicated for studying.
students wishing to pass the test in their schools often wrote their wishes on the temple wood and hang it
as we walked to the main temple let me tell you about the legend behind the shrine
according to folk tales the god Susanoo encountered a grieving family of kunitsukami gods of the land Izumo province
when Susanoo inquired the father he told him that his family was being ravaged by the fearsome Yamata
no Orochi an eighth headed serpent who had consumed seven of the family's eight
daughters and that the creature was coming for his final daughter
Kushinadahime Susanoo investigated the creature and returned with a plan to
defeat it in return he asked for Kushinadahime hand in marriage which was
agreed he instructed that eight vats of sake be prepared and put on individual
platforms positioned behind the fence with eight gates the monster took the
bait and put one of its head through each gate with this distraction Susanoo
attack and slew the beast with his sword he chopped off each head and then
proceeded to the tails in the fourth tail he discovered a great sword inside
the body of the serpent which he called Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi he
presented a sword to the goddess Amaterasu to settle an old grievance
generations later during the reign of the 12th Emperor the tsurugi was given as
a gift to the great warrior yamato takeru to protect him in times of peril
in came in handy when yamato was lured into an open grassland during a hunting
expedition by a treacherous warlord the Lord had the fiery arrows to ignite the
grass and trapped Yamato in the field so that he would burn to death he also
killed the warrior's horse to prevent his escape desperately yamato used the tsurugi
to cut back the grass and remove fuel from the fire but in doing so he
discovered that the sword enabled him to control the wind and cause it to move in
the direction of his swing taking advantage of this magic Yamato uses his gift
to enlarge the fire in the direction of the Lord and his men and he used the
winds controlled by the sword to sweep the blaze towards them in triumph yamato
takeru renamed the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi or grass cutter sword to
commemorate his narrow escape and victory eventually yamato takeru married
and later fell in battle against a monster after ignoring his wife's advice
to take the sword with him since we know the legend here is where
the shrine came into existence atsuta shrine was originally founded about
1,900 years ago when the sacred sword Kusanagi mo Trusurugi one of the Imperial
symbols was enshrined Atsuta was chosen as the site for the shrine by Miyasuhime
a wife of yamato takeru who are died leaving the sword in Hikami ever
since atsuta shrine has been specially revered by people ranking second only to
the great shrine of Ise the shrine has not only enjoyed special privileges of
the high officials but it also won popularity among people who called the
shrine by the familiar name of miya or "the shrine"
moreover the geographical character of the fertile owari plain has fostered a
faith in atsuta shrine as protector of agriculture
the shrine buildings were maintained by the effort of devote generals of
successive times such as the Shogun's of Muromachi in Edo Shogunate Nobunaga
Hideyoshi and the Tokugawas. in 1893 the shrine was remodeled in the same style of the building as the Great shrine of
Ise in 1935 the shrine buildings as well as other facilities were completely
rearranged and improved so that it came to assume the grandeur of the Great
shrine of Atsuta unfortunately during world war ii more of its buildings were
destroyed by fire after the war reconstruction began by the combined
effort of all devoted worshippers all over the country the main buildings were
completed in 1955 and the remaining construction was steadily underway to
perfect the shrine as a great spiritual center equipped with modern facilities
for cultural activities as well you might be wondering what happened to the
sword well do the Shinto priestess' refusal to show the sword and the rather
and reliable nature of its historical references the current state or even the
existence at all of the sword as a historical artifact cannot be confirmed
the last appearance of the sword was in 1989 when Emperor Akihito ascended the throne
see you again next time guys bye