- Address: 2 Chome-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 558-0045, Japan
- Phone: +81 6-6672-0753
- Official website: sumiyoshitaisha.net
- Working hours: daily 06: 00-17: 00, in the winter - from 6:30.
- Foundation date: VIII cent.
In one of the largest Japanese cities, Osaka , is the magnificent Shinto shrine temple of Sumiyoshi-taisha, which is the main sanctuary of the god Sumiyoshi. According to the legends, the souls of those killed in the battles of soldiers and fishermen, who were patronized by this god, were found here.
History of Sumiyoshi-taixa
According to local beliefs, the idea of creating this Shinto temple belonged to Empress Dzing, who worried that the royal ships could not go to sea. Then she decided to seek help from the patron of navigation - the god Sumiyoshi, who also built the shrine Sumiyoshi-taisia.
In fact, the construction of the temple was necessary for the formation of Heian culture. That is why during the period 1871-1946. Sumiyoshi-tayxia wore the title of the main sanctuary and was under the supervision of the state. From 928 to 1434, the sanctuary was regularly rebuilt, and from 1810 the reconstruction began at a lower frequency.
Architectural style Sumiyoshi-taisia
On the territory of the temple complex are buildings, each of which is dedicated to one of the spiritual entities of Kami:
- Okinagatarasihime-no-mikoto;
- Sokocutsu-no-onomikoto;
- Nakatsu-no-onomikoto;
- Uvatsutsu-no-onomikoto.
The main building in Sumiyoshi-taixa is the sanctuary of Sokocutsu-no-onomikoto, which was erected without pillars. During its construction, a separate architectural style was created - Sumiyoshi-dzukuri. This temple is the oldest building, besides the national treasure of Japan .
A feature of the main temple of Sumiyoshi-taisha is that the beams of its base are raised to insignificant height - only 1.5 m, which is several times less than new buildings. The back wall of the sanctuary is divided into two equal parts by a single pillar.
On the roof of the temple of Sokocutsu-no-onomikoto there is a crucifix, or a fleuron, in the style of the Japanese ototigi. The horse is decorated with five square katsuogi.
There is no connection between the Sumiyoshi-tayis temples, but they are all behind the same fence-the tamagaki, which, in turn, is closed from the rest of the world by the araimi fence. If you follow the south from the main temple, you can see the stone gate of Thorium, known as the kakutory. They differ from the rest of the ritual gate with their square pillars and the middle crossbar that extends beyond the main beams.
In addition to the temple buildings, in Sumiyoshi-tayxia you can visit the park, where picturesque ponds are broken and century-old trees grow. If desired, you can walk to the bridge of Soribashi, which, according to legend, serves as a kind of boundary between the world of the gods and the world of people.
How to get to Sumiyoshi-tayxia?
This ancient religious building is located in the south-west of Honshu Island, less than 8 km from the Osaka Bay. Due to the fact that the Sumiyoshi-taisa temple is located 9 km from the center of the Japanese city of Osaka , it will not be difficult to get to it. For this you can take the metro or tram. Nearby there are two tram lines: Hankaidenki-Hankai and Hankaidenki-Uemachi. The path from tram stops to the facility takes only a few minutes. At 240 m from the temple there is a metro station Sumiyoshitaisha, which can be reached via the Nankai line.