Kōra taisha

{{Infobox religious building

| name = {{nihongo|Kōra taisha|高良大社}}

| image = Kurume kourataisha.jpg

| caption = Kōra Taisha

| map_type = Japan Fukuoka Prefecture#Japan

| map_alt =

| coordinates = {{coord|33|18|5.83|N|130|33|57.28|E|source:jawiki_region:JP|display=title,inline}}

| map_relief = 1

| map_size =

| map_caption = Kōra taisha

| religious_affiliation = Shinto

| type =

| deity = Kōra Tamatare no mikoto

| founded_by = c. Emperor Richū

| established = pre-Nara period

| location = 1 Mii-machi, Kurume-shi, Fukuoka-ken

| website = {{Official website|http://www.kourataisya.or.jp}}

| architecture_style =

| festival = 9 October

}}

{{nihongo|Kōra Taisha|高良大社| Kōra-taisha}} is a Shinto shrine located on Mount Kōra of the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the ichinomiya of former Chikugo Province as well as its sōja shrine.[http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/images/uploads/EOS070712Ab.pdf "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 2]; retrieved 2013-1-25. The shrine's main festival is held annually on 9 October.{{cite book |last1=Shibuya |first1=Nobuhiro |title=Shokoku jinja Ichinomiya Ninomiya San'nomiya |date=2015 |publisher= Yamakawa shuppansha |isbn=978-4634150867 |language=Japanese}} It was also known as the {{nihongo|Kōra Tamatare no mikoto Jinja|高良玉垂命神社| }} or the {{nihongo|Kōra Tamatare no miya|高良玉垂宮| }}

Enshrined ''kami''

The kami enshrined at Kōra Taisha are:

{{nihongo|Kōra Tamatare no mikoto |高良玉垂命|}}
{{nihongo| Hachiman |八幡大神}}
{{nihongo| Sumiyoshi |住吉大神}}

In addition, there is a guest room inside the main shrine, where {{nihongo|Toyohime Ōkami|豊比咩大神||}} is enshrined. She is said to be the wife of Kōra Tamatare no mikoto. There are also many sub-shrines scattered around the main shrine's grounds.

History

The foundation of Kōra Taisha is unknown. Per the shrine's legend, it was founded either during the reign of Kofun period Emperor Nintoku or his son, Emperor Richū (during the late 4th or early 5th century). It first appears in historical documentation in the Nihon Kiryaku dated 795, in entries in the Shoku Nihon Kōki dated 840, 841, and 848 and in the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku in entries dated 851 and 858. Per the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku, the enshrined kami Takara Tamatare-no-miko was awarded first court rank by the Imperial court in 870. In the early Heian period Engishiki it is given the rank of Myojin Taisha and is listed as the ichinomiya of Chikugo Province.{{fact|date=February 2024}}

Furthermore, according to legend, the mountain was originally sacred to Takamimusubi and was named Takamure-yama. This name remains reflected in several place names around Kurume. The connection between Takamimusubi and Kōra Tamatare has been the subject of much controversy over the centuries. He has been identified as an ancestor of the Mononobe clan, Nakatomi clan, Watatsumi, Emperor Keiko, and incarnation of Sumiyoshi or even a deity from Baekje, Shilla or Goryeo, among others. In the Edo Period, the prevailing theory identified him with Takenouchi no Sukune, but since the Meiji period no particular theory is promoted.{{fact|date=February 2024}}

The current shrine buildings were donated by Arima Yoritoshi, the third daimyō of Kurume Domain, and the main shrine was completed in 1660. Following the Meiji restoration, with the establishment of State Shinto in 1871, the shrine was originally designed as a {{nihongo|National Shrine, 2nd Rank|国幣中社|kokuhei-chusha}}, but was promoted to a {{nihongo|National Shrine, 1st Rank|国幣大社|kokuhei-taisha}} in 1915.{{cite book |last1=Yoshiki |first1=Emi |title=Zenkoku 'Ichinomiya' tettei gaido |date=2007 |publisher=PHP Institute |isbn=978-4569669304 |language=Japanese}}

The shrine is located a 50 minute walk from Kurume-Daigakumae Station on the JR Kyushu Kyūdai Main Line.{{cite book |last1=Shibuya |first1=Nobuhiro |title=諸国神社一宮・二宮・三宮 |date=2015 |publisher=Yamakawa Publishing Company |isbn=978-4634150867}}{{in lang|ja}}{{cite book |last1=Irie |first1=Koichiro |title=諸国一の宮 |date=2018 |publisher=Idō kyōshitsu Publishing |isbn=978-4901398060}}

Cultural Properties

=Important Cultural Properties=

:{{nihongo|Kōra Taisha Honden, Heiden, Haiden|高良大社本殿・幣殿・拝殿||}}, Edo Period (1661), designated 1972. {{cite web |url=https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/3470|title=高良大社本殿・幣殿・拝殿|language=ja |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |accessdate=20 December 2023}}

:{{nihongo|Ōtorii |高良大社大鳥居||}}, Edo Period (1654), designated 1972. {{cite web |url=https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/3471|title=高良大社大鳥居|language=ja |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |accessdate=20 December 2023}}

:{{nihongo|Heike Monogatari |紙本墨書平家物語||Shihon bokusho Heike Monogatari}}, Paper and ink, Muromachi Period (1654), dedicated to the shrine by the monk Jakushun in 1794, designated 1911. {{cite web |url=https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/201/8149|title=高良大社大鳥居|language=ja |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |accessdate=20 December 2023}}

=Natural Monuments=

:{{nihongo|Phyllostachys edulis forest in Mt. Kōra |高良山のモウソウキンメイチク林|| Kōra-san no Mosokinmei Chikurin}}, bamboo forest, designated in 1974{{cite web |url=https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/401/2667|title=高良山のモウソウキンメイチク林|language=ja |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |accessdate=20 December 2023}}