Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines#District shrine

On the fourteenth day of the fifth month of 1871, by decree of the Dajō-kan, the fundamental elements of the modern shrine system were established: a hierarchic ranking of Shinto shrines, with specification of the grades of priest who could officiate at the various levels of shrine.{{cite journal |title=The Establishment of Shrine Shinto in Meiji Japan |author=Fridell, Wilbur M |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |volume=2 |number=2–3 |year=1975 |publisher=Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture |pages=137–168 |doi=10.18874/jjrs.2.2-3.1975.137-168 |doi-access=free }} These rankings were set aside in 1946, when such rankings were deemed "State Shinto" by the Occupation Shinto Directive. The Jinja Honcho currently has a slightly different List of Special Shrines (別表神社, beppyo jinja).

Kashima Jingu and Katori Jingu were considered the two shrines directly below Ise Jingu.

The {{nihongo|Kan-sha|官社}} or "official government shrines" had two subdivisions, Kanpei-sha or "government shrines" and Kokuhei-sha or "national shrines".

For future tables, red cells denote shrines in the Japanese colonial empire.

In 1871, the Japanese government established the Kanpei-sha (官幣社) system to classify Shinto shrines based on their level of association with the imperial family. The highest category included shrines that venerated the imperial family members, emperors, or meritorious retainers of the Imperial family. These shrines were considered to be the most closely associated with the imperial family and received government support.

The Kanpei-taisha were the most highly ranked shrines in Japan that were officially designated by the government. There were 67 shrines that held this status, which were closely associated with the imperial family. These shrines were considered to be of great historical and cultural significance, and were often visited by members of the imperial family as well as the general public.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, p. 124.

|-

|Kirishima Jingū

| Kirishima, Kagoshima

|

|Konohanasakuya-hime

Hoori

Toyotama-hime

Ugayafukiaezu

Tamayori-bime

Ninigi-no-Mikoto

|-

|Kumano Hongū Taisha

| Tanabe, Wakayama

|Myojin Taisha

|

|-

|Kumano Hayatama Taisha

| Shingū, Wakayama

|Shikinai Taisha

|

|-

|Kunikakasu Shrine

| Wakayama

|Myojin Taisha

| ichinomiya of Kii Province; shared with Hinokuma Shrine;

|-

|Mishima Taisha

| Mishima, Shizuoka

|Myojin Taisha

| ichinomiya of Izu Province, Ōyamatsumi

|-

|Miyazaki Jingū

| Miyazaki

|

|Emperor Jimmu

Ugayafukiaezu

Tamayori-bime

|-

|Munakata Taisha

| Munakata, Fukuoka

|Myojin Taisha

|{{ill|Ichikishimahime|ja|イチキシマヒメ}}, {{ill|Tagitsuhime|ja|タギツヒメ}}, {{ill|Takiribime|ja|タキリビメ}}

|-

|Niutsuhime Shrine

| Katsuragi, Wakayama

|Myojin Taisha

|Niutsuhime-no-Ōkami

Kōyamiko-no-Ōkami

Ōgetsuhime-no-kami

Ichikishimahime-no-Ōkami

|-

|Ōtori taisha

| Sakai

|Myojin Taisha

| ichinomiya of Izumi Province Ōtori-no-muraji and Yamato Takeru

|-

|Suwa-taisha

| Suwa, Nagano

|Myojin Taisha

| ichinomiya of Shinano ProvinceTakeminakata

Yasakatome

Kotoshironushi

|-

|Takebe taisha

| ŌtsuTakebe Taisha: Ōtsu, Shiga = Seta in Ōmi province

|Myojin Taisha

| Yamato-takeru-no-mitoko; ichinomiya of Ōmi Province

|-

|Taga-taisha

| Taga, Shiga

|

| Sannomiya Izanagi, Izanami

|-

|Udo Jingū

| Nichinan, Miyazaki

|

|Ugayafukiaezu

Amaterasu

Ame-no-oshihomimi

Ninigi-no-Mikoto

Hoori

Emperor Jimmu

|-

|Yoshino JinguNDL: [http://www.ndl.go.jp/scenery/kansai/e/data/357/index.html Kanpei Taisha Yoshino Jingu]

| Yoshino, Nara

|

|Emperor Go-Daigo

|-

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |Taiwan Grand Shrine

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Taipei, Taiwan

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | now extinct

|-

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |Karafuto Shrine

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Karafuto Prefecture, Russia

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | removed from Sakhalin

|-

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |Chōsen Jingu

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Seoul, Korea under Japanese rule

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | now extinct

Kunitama Okami

Amaterasu Okami

|-

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |Fuyo Jingū

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Buyeo County, Korea

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | never completed{{Cite journal |last=Michio |first=Nakajima |last2=𠀓𤚇𙥷𡌕𰀇 |date=2010 |title=Shinto Deities that Crossed the Sea: Japan's "Overseas Shrines," 1868 to 1945 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27822898 |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=21–46 |issn=0304-1042}}Emperor Ōjin (Hachiman),

Empress Kōgyoku,

Emperor Tenji,

Empress Jingū

|-

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |Kantō Jingu

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Lüshunkou District, Kwantung Leased Territory, China

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | now extinct

Emperor Meiji

Amaterasu Omikami

|-

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |Nan'yō ShrinePeattie, Mark R. (1988). [https://books.google.com/books?id=DHxdSkoo4AMC&pg=PA225 Nanʻyō: the rise and fall of the Japanese in Micronesia, 1885-1945, pp. 225-229]; n.b., construction completed in 1941

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Koror, Palau

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Amaterasu Ōmikami. holy relics and kami were evacuated by submarine in 1944Peattie, [https://books.google.com/books?id=DHxdSkoo4AMC&pg=PA339 p. 339 n61.]

|}

The mid-range of ranked Imperial shrines or Kanpei Chūsha (官幣中社) included 23 sanctuaries. These shrines were considered to be of intermediate rank among the government-supported shrines and were given lesser financial support compared to the Kanpei-taisha.Ponsonby-Fane. Imperial, p. 125.

|-

| Kamakura-gū

| KamakuraKamakura-gū: Kamakura, Kanagawa = Kamakura in Sagami province

|

| Morinaga-shinnō

|-

|Kanasana Shrine

|Kodama District, Saitama

|Myojin Taisha

|Amaterasu, Susanoo-no-Mikoto

|-

| Kanegasaki-gūPonsonby-Fane. Imperial, p. 127.

| Tsuruga, FukuiKanegazaki Shrine: Tsuruga, Fukui = Tsuruga in Echizen province

|

| Takanaga Shinnō, Tsunenaga shinnō

|-

| Kibitsu Shrine

| Okayama

|Myojin Taisha

| Ōkibitsu-hiko-no-mikoto, son of Emperor Kōrei; ichinomiya of Bitchū Province

|-

| Kumano Nachi Taisha

| NachikatsuuraKumano Nachi Taisha: Nachikatsuura, Wakayama = Nachi in Kii province; n.b., {{nihongo|Kii Province|紀伊国|Kii no Kuni}} = Kishū (紀州), was a province of Honshū in Wakayama Prefecture and Mie Prefecture.

|Kokushi genzaisha

| Ketsumiko, Kumano Hayatama-no-kami, Kumano Fusumi-no-kami

|-

| Minase Shrine

| Shimamoto, Osaka

|

| Emperor Go-Toba, Emperor Tsuchimikado and Emperor Juntoku; n.b., raised to kanpei-taisha in 1940

|-

| Mikami Shrine

| Yasu, ShigaMikami Shrine: Yasu, Shiga = Mikamimura in Ōmi province

|Myojin Taisha

| {{ill|Ame-no-mikage-no-mikoto|ja|天之御影神}}

|-

| Nagata Shrine.

| Nagata-ku, KobeNagata Shrine: Nagata-ku, Kobe = Kobe in Settsu province.

|Myojin Taisha

| Kotohshironushi-no-mikoto

|-

| Shiramine JingūPonsonby-Fane. Imperial, p. 126; n.b., raised to kanpei-taisha in 1940

| Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto

|

| Emperor Junnin; n.b., raised to kanpei-taisha in 1940

|-

| Sumiyoshi Shrine

| ShimonosekiSumiyoshi Shrine: Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi = Katsuyama in Nagato province

|Myojin Taisha

| Sumiyoshi sanjin, the aramitama of the Sun Goddess, Tsuki-sasaki-itsu no mitama-amasakaru-muka-tsu-hime-no- mitoko; ichinomiya of Nagato Province

|-

|Yatsushiro-gū

|Yatsushiro, KumamotoYatsushiro Shrine: Yatsushiro, Kumamoto = Yatsushiro in Higo province

|

|Prince Kaneyoshi

|-

| {{Interlanguage link|Watatsumi Shrine_(Kobe)|lt=Watatsumi Shrine|simple}}.

| Tarumi-ku, Kobe, Harima Province

|Myojin Taisha

| Watatsumi

|-

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | {{ill|Tainan Shrine|ja|臺灣建築|simple}}.

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | Tainan, Taiwan

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" |

| style="background-color: #ffdddd;" | now extinct; Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa-no-mikoto

|}

There were five shrines that were considered the lowest ranked among the Imperial shrines. They were called Kanpei-shōsha (官幣小社).

After the establishment of the officially ranked Imperial shrines, another group of special shrines known as Bekkaku kanpeisha (別格官幣社) was created. These shrines were not included in the ranking system of the Imperial shrines, but were still imperial.{{cite web |url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=1092 |title=Modern Shrine Ranking System |website=Encyclopedia of Shinto |publisher=Kokugakuin University |access-date=29 September 2019}}

|

|

|-

|{{ill|Toyosaka and Noda Shrines|lt=Toyosaka Shrine|ja|豊榮神社・野田神社|simple}}

|Yamaguchi (city)

|

|

|-

|{{ill|Toyosaka and Noda Shrines|lt=Noda Shrine|ja|豊榮神社・野田神社|simple}}

|Yamaguchi (city)

|

|

|-

|Terukuni shrine

|{{ill|Kagoshima}}

|

|

|-

|Tokiwa shrine

|{{ill|Mito, Ibaraki}}

|

|

|-

|Uesugi Shrine

|{{ill|Yonezawa, Yamagata}}

|

|

|-

|{{Interlanguage link|Yamauchi Shrine|ja|山内神社|simple}}

|{{ill|Kōchi Prefecture}} {{ill|Kōchi, Kōchi}}

|

|

|-

|Yūki Shrine

|Tsu, Mie

|

|

|}

The {{nihongo|Kokuhei-sha|国幣社}} identified the hierarchy of government-supported shrines with national significance. The kokuheisha enshrined kami considered beneficial to more local areas.

The most highly ranked, nationally significant shrines or {{nihongo|Kokuhei Taisha|国幣大社}} were six sanctuaries.

The mid-range of ranked, nationally significant shrines or {{nihongo|Kokuhei Chūsha|国幣中社}} encompassed 47 sanctuaries.

The lowest ranked, nationally significant shrines or {{nihongo|Kokuhei Shōsha|国幣小社}} includes 50 sanctuaries.

Gokoku shrines were ranked separately.{{Efn|{{Interlanguage link|Miyazaki Gokoku Shrine|ja|宮崎縣護國神社}} and {{Interlanguage link|Kumamoto Gokoku Shrine|ja|熊本県護国神社}} were completed after World War II, when the war ended and the Ministry of Home Affairs was abolished, so they were not designated by the Minister of Home Affairs and are actually correctly designated as "equivalent to designated Gokoku-jinja Shrine".}} They were considered branches of Yasukuni Shrine. This list only includes those which are currently ranked as Beppyo shrines.

The {{nihongo|Sho-sha|諸社}} or various smaller shrines ranking below these two levels of Kan-sha ("official government shrines") are commonly, though unofficially, referred to as "people's shrines" or {{nihongo|Min-sha|民社}}. These lower-ranking shrines were initially subdivided by the proclamation of the fourteenth day of the fifth month of 1871 into four main ranks, "Metropolitan", "Clan" or "Domain", "Prefectural", and "District" shrines. By far the largest number of shrines fell below the rank of District shrine. Their status was clarified by the {{nihongo|District Shrine Law|郷社定則|Gōsha Teisoku}} of the fourth day of the seventh month of 1871, in accordance with which "Village shrines" ranked below their respective "District shrines", while the smaller local shrines or Hokora ranked beneath the "Village shrines".

Here is a non-exhaustive list of shrines under each categorization. This list only includes ones now listed as Beppyo shrines unless otherwise specified.

"Metropolitan shrines" were known as {{nihongo|Fu-sha|府社}}. "Prefectural shrines" were known as {{nihongo|Ken-sha|県社}}. At a later date, the "Prefectural shrines" were classed together with the "Metropolitan shrines" as "Metropolitan and Prefectural Shrines" or {{nihongo|Fuken-sha|府県社}}.

"Clan shrines" or "Domain shrines" were known as {{nihongo|Han-sha|藩社}}. Due to the abolition of the han system, no shrines were ever placed in this category.

"District shrines" were known as {{nihongo|Gō-sha|郷社}}.

"Village shrines" were known as {{nihongo|Son-sha|村社}} and ranked below their respective "District shrines", in accordance with the District Shrine Law of 4 July 1871.

Small local shrines known as {{nihongo|Hokora|祠}} are ranked beneath the village shrines, in accordance with the District Shrine Law of 4 July 1871. At a later date, shrines beneath the rank of "Village shrines" were classed as "Ungraded shrines" or {{nihongo|Mukaku-sha|無格社}}.

New shrines were established and existing shrines promoted to higher ranks at various dates, but a 1903 snapshot of the 193,297 shrines in existence at that time saw the following:

• Kan-sha
• Imperial shrines: 95
• National shrines: 75
• "Min-sha"
• Metropolitan and prefectural shrines: 571
• District shrines: 3,476
• Village shrines: 52,133
• Ungraded shrines: 136,947

• List of Shinto shrines
• Setsumatsusha

{{notelist}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{refbegin}}

• Breen, John and Mark Teeuwen. (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=MADlfH002mAC&q=nijunisha Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami.] Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. {{ISBN|978-0-8248-2363-4}}
• Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). [https://books.google.com/books?id=SLAeAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Imperial+House+of+Japan The Imperial House of Japan.] Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/194887 OCLC 194887]
• _______________. (1962). [https://books.google.com/books?id=tjEvAAAAYAAJ&q=Studies+in+Shinto+and+Shrines Studies in Shinto and Shrines.] Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/3994492 OCLC 399449]
• _______________. (1963). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Uru8GMeblXgC&q=sapporo+shrine+yoshihisa-shinno The Viciissitudes of Shinto.] Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. {{OCLC|186605327}}

{{refend}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Shinto shrine}}

{{State Shinto}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines}}

Category:1871 establishments in Japan

Category:1945 disestablishments in Japan

Category:Shinto shrines in Japan

Category:Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines

Category:Shinto shrines by ranking