Kasuga no kami (春日神)

Kasuga no kami is a Shinto deity.
It is also known as 'Kasuga Myojin' or 'Kasuga Gongen.'
Kasuga no kami refers to a deity who was transferred from Kasuga Taisha Shrine through "kanjo" (the ceremonial transfer of a divided tutelary deity to a new location). When a shrine displays the name of an enshrined deity, the name of the Kasuga no kami is also displayed as 'Kasuga Daijin' together with the main enshrined deity. Shrines that enshrine Kasuga no kami are called 'Kasuga Jinja,' and there are about 1,000 Kasuga-Jinja shrines nationwide.

Since Kasuga Taisha Shrine enshrines the following four deities, they are considered the embodiment of Kasuga no Kami.

Amenokoyane no Mikoto
Takemikazuchi
Futsunushi no kami
Hime no kami

Kasuga no kami is an "ujigami" (tutelary deity) of the Fujiwara and Nakatomi clans.

The above-mentioned four deities were enshrined in Kasuga Taisha Shrine in 768; before that, Enomoto Myojin had been worshiped in the Kasuga region. Presently, Enomoto Myojin is enshrined in the "sessha" (auxiliary shrine) of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. During the Edo period, Enomoto Myojin was identified with Sarutahiko (leader of the Earthly Gods), but prior to that, a deity known as 'Kose no Hafuri' or 'Kose no Hime Myojin' had been worshiped. This deity (Kose no Hafuri or Kose no Hime Myojin) is considered an indigenous deity (ujigami) of the Kasuga region and regarded as the tutelary deity of the Kasuga Clan, an ancient noble family who had a base in this region.

Kasuga Taisha Shrine (Nara City, Nara Prefecture)

"Sohonsha" (the headquarters)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Aoba-ku, Sendai City)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Minato-ku, Tokyo)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Ota-ku, Tokyo)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Nerima-ku, Tokyo)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Kode Kasuga, Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Kotake, Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Iida town, Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Sabae City, Ishikawa Prefecture)

The Honden (main shrine) is designated a national important cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Yamagata City, Gifu Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Seki City, Gifu Prefecture)

Noh clothing (63 items) used at annual festivals is designated a national important cultural property.

Kuwana-Soja Shrine (Kasuga-Jinja shrine) (Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture)

"Ishidori-matsuri Festival "is designated an important intangible folk cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture)

The Honden is designated a national important cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture)

The Honden is designated a national important cultural property.

Oharano-jinja Shrine (Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City)

This shrine was established when Kasuga no kami was transferred (kanjo) to a place in the close vicinity of "Nagaoka-kyo" (an ancient capital of Japan).

Yoshida-jinja Shrine (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City)

This shrine was established when Kasuga no kami was transferred (kanjo) to a place in the close vicinity of "Heian-kyo" (the ancient name for Kyoto).

Saiin Kasuga-jinja Shrine (Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City)

Baiga Kasuga-jinja Shrine (Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture)

An ishidoro (stone lantern) made in the Kamakura period is designated a national important cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Fukushima-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Miyayama town, Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture)

Said to be the site of a former "shoen" (a manor in medieval Japan) of the Fujiwara clan.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture)

A noh stage is designated a national important cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Kamikawa town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Yamatokoriyama City, Nara Prefecture)

Located within Kongosen-ji Temple (Yada-dera Temple) and the Honden is designated a national important cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Uda City, Nara Prefecture)

Kada-Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture)

The "shaden" (shrine buildings) are designated a national important cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture)

It is said the shrine was established in the early Kamakura period.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Kainan City, Wakayama Prefecture)

Inside the shrine, there is a reconstruction of 'Matsushiro-Oji-jinja Shrine,' one of the "Kujyuku Oji" (the 99 shrines on the Kumano Sanzan pilgrimage route).

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Kasuga City, Fukuoka Prefecture)

Kasuga-no-Muko-Oshi Festival (Kasuga's initiation for bridegrooms) is designated an important intangible folk cultural property.

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Oita City, Oita Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture)

Kasuga-Jinja Shrine (Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture)

One of the "Kagoshima Gosha" (the five most important shrines in Kagoshima).

[Original Japanese]