Ōtori taisha

Ōtori taisha 大鳥神社
Inside Ōtori taisha
Information
Dedicated to	Prince Yamato Takeru
Address	Osaka-fu, Sakai-shi, Nishi-ku, Otorikita-Machi 1-1-2
Phone	072-262-0040
Website	Homepage
Glossary of Shinto

Ōtori taisha (大鳥神社^?), also known as Ōtori Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Nishi-ku ward in the city of Sakai, Osaka, Japan.

History

The legend of the origin of the shrine states that the hero Yamatotakeru-no-Mikoto, who turned into a white swan upon his death, last stopped at the future site of the Otori Taisha. It is said that the people nearby built the shrine in order to worship white swans^[1]. The prince Yamato Takeru (originally prince Ousu), son of Emperor Keiko of the Yamato Dynasty, is enshrined here. The prince was praised for his bravery in battle and was given the name Yamato Takeru, or The Brave of Yamato, by his enemy as he died ^[2]. Ōtori Taisha is believed to be in the service of the gods of literature and martial arts, and it was said that warriors often visited in ancient times.

Ōtori was designated as the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) for the former Izumi province. ^[3]

From 1871 through 1946, Ōtori was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社^?), meaning that it stood in the first rank among government supported shrines.

Grounds

The shrine's grounds, which extend over 50,000 square meters, contain a quiet forest known as Chigusa-no-mori because of the seemingly endless variety of tree species which can be found there. The shrine is also known for its iris garden, which features over 100,000 flowers. There is a monument in the shrine on which a tanka poem was inscribed by Tessai Tomioka.

Notable Architecture

The main building, Ōtori zukuri, is built in one of the oldest architectural styles used for Japanese shrines.^[4] This building burned down in 1905, but was rebuilt in 1909.

Visiting

There are no set hours and admission is free. To reach Ōtori taisha, take the JR Hanwa Line and get off at Otori Station.

Gallery

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  Entrance to Ōtori taisha.

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  Inside Ōtori taisha.

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  Inside Ōtori taisha.

See also

• List of Shinto shrines
• Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines

Notes

1. ^ http://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/foreigner_en/spot/spot2.html
2. ^ http://abikobc.blog59.fc2.com/blog-entry-1141.html
3. ^ "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 1.; retrieved 2011-08-010
4. ^ http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm130/peacefulapricot/Otori%20Jinja%20and%20Sumiyoshi%20Taisha/P4200061.jpg

External links

• Sakai City Site

Coordinates: 34°32′13″N 135°27′39″E / 34.53694°N 135.46083°E / 34.53694; 135.46083