[Shinto Revolution] "The strongest business model in the universe" hidden in the enshrined deity of Yoshida Shrine and the ambition of genius Kanetomo Yoshida

Yoshida Shrine is located at the foot of Mt. Yoshida in the east of Kyoto. This shrine is famous for the Setsubun Festival (Karosai), but in fact, if you unravel the history, there is an incredible story hidden here that "turned the order of Japanese gods upside down."

This time, the story of how the enshrined deity of Yoshida Shrine was updated from a mere guardian deity of the clan to the root of the universe, and the genius strategy of Kanetomo Yoshida (Yoshida) who is the leading player I will thoroughly explain.

Table of Contents

1. The beginning is "the guardian deity of the elite clan": Kasuga Shijin's transfer

2. The Appearance of "Genius Warrior" Kanetomo Yoshida: Rewriting the OS of Shinto

3. The Birth of the Ultimate Deity, Komushi Taikyoku Omoto Sonjin

4. Physical Proof: A "Magic Device" called Daigengu

5. Unique Shinto as Marketing

6. Summary: What the enshrined deity of Yoshida Shrine teaches us

1. The beginning is "the guardian deity of the elite clan": Kasuga Shijin's transfer

First, let s look at the front face of Yoshida Shrine. In the Heian period, when it was founded by Fujiwara no Yamakage, the enshrined deity was Kasuga no Kami, who was received from Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara.

The four gods are enshrined in the main shrine of Yoshida Shrine.

In the first hall, there is Takemikazuchi no Mikoto, a warrior god and thunder god. He is a symbol of mighty power, also known as Kashima Daimyojin. In the second hall, there is Futsunushi no Mikoto, a god of swords. As Katori Daimyojin, it has been revered by samurai from ancient times. In the third hall, Amenokoyanenomikoto, who is the ancestor god of the Fujiwara clan and in charge of Kotodama and Norito, which are the power of words. In the fourth hall, his wife, Himegami, is lined up as a guardian of peace and family.

These are gods for the Fujiwara clan, who had the strongest power at that time. In other words, it started as a private elite shrine dedicated to the Fujiwara clan at first.

2. The Appearance of "Genius Warrior" Kanetomo Yoshida: Rewriting the OS of Shinto

However, in the Muromachi period, a man drastically changed the definition of this shrine. It was Yoshida Kanetomo.

At that time, the Yoshida family was being pushed by the rival Shirakawa family, and the share of the family business "Shinto" was being taken away. Furthermore, Kyoto was burned down by the Onin War, and the Yoshida family was also in danger of falling.

So Kanetomo thought, "Even if we fight within the framework of the existing gods, we can't win. Then we can create a new OS, which is the mechanism of Shinto itself."

Here he created what the world calls "Yoshida Shinto," also known as "Yuitsu Kongen Shinto."

Kanetomo systematized ancient documents and traditions, sometimes with bold creations, and raised the theory of Kyotendochi that the boss of all the gods in Japan is actually the god enshrined by my family (Yoshida family).

3. The Birth of the Ultimate Deity, Komushi Taikyoku Omoto Sonjin

Kanetomo built "Saisaisho Daigengu" in the precincts of Yoshida Shrine, and it is Komu Taikyoku Daigen Shrine that was enshrined there.

The name of this god surprised even the educated people at that time, because this god was different from the previous Japanese gods.

First of all, this God is the root of the universe. We defined Him as the root of all things, which emerged from a state of nothingness without form or sound, even before the beginning of the universe called Taikyoku.

Second, this god is an existence that contains all gods. Amaterasu Omikami of Ise Jingu Shrine and Okuninushi no Mikoto of Izumo developed the theory that everything is just a ghost that appeared in the form of this Omoto Sonshin.

Third, we realized "one-stop service." We proposed that "Omoto Sonjin is the universe itself. Therefore, praying here will have the same effect as praying to all the gods in Sanzenhyakusanjuniza nationwide."

Speaking in a modern way, it is like saying, "Rather than hitting individual app icons, it is the Yoshida family that manages the App Store itself."

4. Physical Proof: A "Magic Device" called Daigengu

Kanetomo created a device that overwhelmed people not only with words but also visually. That is Saisaisho Daigengu, which still remains in Yoshida Shrine today.

The architectural style of this building is extremely unique. The plane is octagonal and the roof is hexagonal, which is unthinkable in the common sense of the time. This is said to be a physical representation of the structure of the universe.

Furthermore, all the gods of the main shrines (Shikinaisha) in Japan were placed around the main hall. When people at that time saw this, they were made to believe visually that "I see, this is the center of the world."

5. Unique Shinto as Marketing

Why did Yoshida Shinto become so popular that it controlled 80% of the shrines in Japan by the end of the Edo period?

That's because Kanetomo established the "licensing business of authority."

Kanetomo approached the local Shinto priests like this. The deity of your shrine is also connected to Daigen Sonshin, that is, the Yoshida family. So if you get an official license from the Yoshida family, you will be recognized as a real Shinto priest.

Furthermore, in the Edo period, he strongly lobbied the Tokugawa Shogunate to approve a law called "Shosha Negi Shinshu Hatto." As a result, he obtained the official monopoly right that "all shrines except for special shrines such as Ise Jingu Shrine should be subject to the supervision of the Yoshida family."

It was the moment when a family that was on the verge of collapse reigned at the top of the Japanese religious world through its own theories and political maneuvers.

6. Summary: What the enshrined deity of Yoshida Shrine teaches us

The enshrined deity of Yoshida Shrine was sublimated from the original "guardian deity of the Fujiwara clan" to "the root of the universe" by the hand of Kanetomo.

While ostensibly establishing the prestigious "Kasuga Four Gods (Kasuga Shishin)," the structure of this two-stage stance (Nidangamae) that enshrined "Daigen Sonshin" who ruled the universe was the driving force that pushed the Yoshida family to the largest power in Japan.

When you visit Yoshida Shrine, please take a look at Daigengu, a mysterious-shaped shrine. There, traces of the grand dream of "unification of Japan by Shinto" drawn by a genius who appeared in the Muromachi period (Muromachi period) are still alive.

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