Yahata City (八幡市), southwest of Kyoto Prefecture, is located the meeting point of the three rivers, the Kizu-gawa River, the Uji-gawa River and the Katsura-gawa River to become the Yodo-gawa River between Kyoto City and Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture.  The name "Yahata" is another way to read the two Chinese characters used for "Hachiman" (八幡), which indicates that this city had originally developed as the temple town of "Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu" (石清水八幡宮) Shrine.
  People have lived in this area since 20,000 years before.  Yahata had prospered as the way-stop of the waterways of the Kizu River and the Yodo River, and the overland routes of the "Kosanin-do" (古山陰道), the "Higashi-Koya-kaido" and the "Kyo-kaido."
  In 859, the first year of the Jogan Era (859-877), a branch shrine of the Japanese God of War "Hachiman-shin" of the Usa Hachiman-gu Shrine (founded in 571 in Usa, Oita, Kyushu) was built in "Otoko-yama" (the Hill of Otoko-yama, 140 m) to be enshrined in order to guard the new capital of the Heian-kyo (now Kyoto)was built: It was named the "Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu" Shrine.  Since then, the town of Yahata had begun to develop as the temple town, and gradually prospered as the way-stop between Kyoto and Osaka, and also as a crop-producing place between the two big cities in the Edo Period.
  In 1954, the new Yahata Town was born after the three municipalities of this area were merged (pop.16,000).  In 1977 Yahata Town, developing as a residential area between Kyoto and Osaka, advanced to Yahata City (pop. over 50,000).  The city has 24.37 square kilometers and its population is 74,099 (February 2006).

IMAGE	IMAGE NO.	DATA
Iwashimizu-Hachiman-gu		The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman (八幡) is one of Japan's main deities.  The first known shrine to Hachiman was built in 571 in Usa (宇佐), Buzen (豊前; now Oita[大分]).  Later this god became famous for his oracles, one of which declared that Hachiman would protect the construction of the great image of Vairochana Buddha at Todai-ji Temple (東大寺) in Nara in the mid-eighth century.  For this the god was given the Buddhist title "Great Bodhisattva" in 781, making him the first Japanese deity to receive this title.  This event is seen as symbolic of the emerging syncretism of Buddhism and Japan's indigenous religion, Shinto, at the time.   In the Heian Period (794-1191), Hachiman was widely revered as the deified spirit of the 15th emperor Ojin Tenno (応神天皇; "Hondawake no Mikoto [誉田別尊]," ?-? in the 5th century), and a derivative shrine called Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine (石清水八幡宮) was built by Gyokyo, a priest of Daian-ji Temple, Nara in 859 here in the southwest of Kyoto by the oracle of Hachiman during his stay in Usa.  Next year, in 860, Mokko-gonnojo Yoshimoto Tachibana constructed six halls here by the order of Emperor Seiwa (清和天皇, 850-880; r.858-876) in order to guard the capital.  Its name "Iwashimizu" is derived from the magical fountain "Iwa-shimizu" still gushing from the rocks in the middle of the Hill of Otoko-yama.  This shrine, along with Ise-jingu Shrine, came to be devoted to the imperial ancestors.  It had been profoundly worshipped by the Genji [Minamoto] clan, the descendants of Emperor Seiwa.  It is widely known that Yoshiie Minamoto (源義家) had "Gempuku" (a Samurai rite to mark one's attainment of manhood) in this shrine and named himself "Hachiman Taro Yoshiie" before he went to Oshu (奥州; the Tohoku District) to defeat the powerful Abe clan (阿部氏) in "Zenkunen no Eki" (前九年の役; the Ealier Nine Years' War, 1051-1062).   Later Yoritomo Minamoto (源頼朝), the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, established a shrine to Hachiman at Tsurugaoka (鶴岡八幡宮) in Kamakura in the late twelfth century.  With this, Hachiman came to be known as the deity of warriors or the god of war.  As worship of Hachiman spread, He also came to be regarded as the guardian deity of many respective communities.  Hachiman's incorporation as a protective deity of Buddhism signifies the transition of Buddhism from its early status in Japan as a foreign religion to a mainstay of Japan's spiritual culture (Reference: Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism)   It is said that there are 30,000 or 40,000 shrines called "Hachiman-gu" over the country.  Iwashimizu-Hachiman-gu Shrine is one of the three important Hachiman-gu Shrines as well as Usa Hachiman-gu Shrine, Usa, Oita and Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine, Kamakura, Kanagawa.
	kyh2006-001	(Thursday 16 February) Signpost of "Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu" and "Ichi-no-Torii" (the First Shrine Gate), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-003	(Thursday 16 February) "Ichi-no-Torii" (the First Shrine Gate), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-004	(Thursday 16 February) "Ni-no-Torii" (the Second Shrine Gate), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-005	(Thursday 16 February) Stone steps of "Omote-sando" (the formal approach), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-007	(Thursday 16 February) "Ishi-doro" (the Stone Lanterns) of "Omote-sando" (the formal approach), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-009	(Thursday 16 February) "San-no-Torii" (the Third Shrine Gate), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-010	(Thursday 16 February) "Omiki" (the Japanese Sake Offerings), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-012	(Thursday 16 February) "Nan-so-mon" (the South Great Shrine Gate), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-013	(Thursday 16 February) "Hon-den" (Main Shrine, built in 1639 by the order of the third Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  It enshrines Hachiman-daiji [Omikami] (Hondawake no Mikoto=the 15th emperor Ojin Tenno).
	kyh2006-015	(Thursday 16 February) "Hon-den" (Main Shrine, built in 1639 by the order of the third Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  It enshrines Hachiman-daiji [Omikami] (Hondawake no Mikoto=the 15th emperor Ojin Tenno).
	kyh2006-016	(Thursday 16 February) The inner view of the most sacred area ("Nan-so-mon" and the amulet-issuing office), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-018	(Thursday 16 February) "Waka-miya-sha" (built in the 11th year of Jogan; 870) enshrining the 16th Emperor Nintoku (Emperor Ojin's 4th son;?-? in the early 5th century), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  It is said that this is the guardian for men.
	kyh2006-019	(Thursday 16 February) "Waka-miyaden-sha" (built in the 11th year of Jogan; 870) enshrining Emperor Ojin's4th daughter ^name unknown] ?-? in the early 5th century), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  It is said that this is the guardian for women.
	kyh2006-021	(Thursday 16 February) A bamboo groove, Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  It is noted that the famous American inventor Thomas Alva Edison used bamboo from the Hill of Otoko-yama as the material for a filament inside of the early electric light bulbs in the late nineteenth century.  A monument of Edison stands at the foot of the hill.
	kyh2006-022	(Thursday 16 February) A shrine in the bamboo groove, Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine
	kyh2006-023	(Thursday 16 February) "Ango-bashi" (the Ango Bridge) over the Hojo-gawa River near the first shrine gate of Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  It was a good place for seeing fireflies in summer.
	kyh2006-024	(Thursday 16 February) Ango-bashi" (the Ango Bridge) over the Hojo-gawa River near the first shrine gate of Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  It was a good place for seeing fireflies in summer.
Korroke		A "korroke" (コロッケ; the Japanese version of croquette) shop near the first shrine gate of Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  She has two kinds of "korokke"; "Oban-kun" (大ばんくん; L-sized "korroke" ) and "Koban-chan" (小ばんちゃん; S-sized)   The "oban(g)" normally means a demolished large oval Japanese gold coin, while the "koban(g)" is a demolished small oval Japanese gold coin.  After the long walk on the hill, I bought two "Oban-kun."  It was a filling meal indeed!  And very tasty!
	kyh2006-025	(Thursday 16 February) A "Korroke" (the Japanese version of croquette) shop near the first shrine gate of Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine.  Very tasty!

        

Copyright (c) 2006 Eishiro Ito.  All rights reserved.