Oyama Shrine, Shinto shrine in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa district, Toyama Prefecture, Japan
Oyama Shrine comprises three sites in Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture: the peak sanctuary on the 3,003 m summit of Mount Oyama, the Chūgū Kiganden at Ashikuraji, and the Maedate Shadan at Iwakuraji. The summit hall, rebuilt in 1860, is a three-bay nagare-zukuri of zelkova built directly on rock with a stone-covered roof; the Maedate Shadan's cypress-bark-roofed main hall is the largest in the Hokuriku region.
According to shrine tradition, Saeki no Ariyori founded the shrine in 701 after a white hawk led him to a cave on Mount Tate, where the deities Izanagi and Amanotajikarao appeared to him. The shrine received court ranks in 863 and 889, and was listed as a minor shrine in the 927 Engishiki. The summit sanctuary was rebuilt in 1860, and the present hall dates from a 1996 reconstruction.
The shrine's name derives from Mount Oyama, and pilgrims traditionally carried one to three stones from a riverbed up to the summit, laying them in the forecourt of the peak shrine. A folk tale explains that Tateyama lost a height contest with Mount Hakusan by the thickness of a straw sandal, so stones were carried up to raise it. Descending climbers once bought red long banners as souvenirs; today a red tag reading "Tateyama summit Oyama Shrine" is given after a safety prayer at the peak hall and tied to walking sticks or packs.
The shrine has three sites: the summit shrine on Mount Oyama (3,003 m), reached by about two hours' walk from the Murodo terminal of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route; the Chugu Kiganden at Ashikuraji, reached by bus from Chigaki Station to the Ashikuraji stop; and the Maedate Shadan at Iwakuraji, about 7 to 10 minutes on foot from Iwakuraji Station. The summit shrine can only be visited from the seventh to the ninth month of the old calendar, so year-round rites are held at the Maedate Shadan.
The summit shrine stands at 3,003 m on Mount Oyama, its hall built directly on rock with a roof weighted by stones against the wind. Inside, the central bay is a treasure store, flanked by the two deities; plaques by Tōgō Heihachirō and Nogi Maresuke hang on the left and right.
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