Yamada Tenman-gū, Shinto shrine in Kita-ku, Nagoya, Japan
Yamada Tenman-gū is a Shinto shrine in Yamada-chō, Kita-ku, Nagoya, founded in 1672 by Tokugawa Mitsutomo as a guardian of Nagoya Castle's northeast and a place to pray for learning. Its grounds include the Kogane Shrine, merged here in 1983, where visitors wash coins for financial fortune.
Tokugawa Mitsutomo, second lord of the Owari domain, founded the shrine in 1672, transferring the spirit of Sugawara no Michizane from Dazaifu Tenmangū. It served as a place of prayer for learning in the domain and as guardian of Nagoya Castle's northeast corner. In 1983 the Kogane Shrine, founded in 1746, was merged into it.
The shrine's name comes from Yamada, the old village in Owari Province where it was built. On 25 January it holds the Usokae ritual, in which worshippers exchange wooden carved birds, a wordplay on usotsuki, "liar", so that lies are swapped for truth. The Kogane Shrine, merged here in 1983, is visited for financial fortune and coin washing.
The shrine stands in Yamada-chō, Kita-ku, in northern Nagoya, and its grounds are open to visitors at any hour. The Kogane Shrine, merged here in 1983, is known for coin-washing, so bring a coin to wash at the basin. The Usokae ritual takes place on 25 January, when the grounds draw crowds.
The Kogane Shrine, founded in 1746 and merged into Yamada Tenman-gū in 1983, is known for its money-washing rite and is believed to bring financial fortune and success in business. Its deities include Ebisu, Ōkuninushi and Kanayamahiko. The Hatsu-Kane festival falls on 3 and 8 January, and the Kogane Goma rite on 8 August.
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