Dec 4, 20163 min read

Treasure of Tonomine

By the mid 7th century, the influential Soga clan had consolidated so much power and influence that they had become the de facto rulers of Japan. Even Empress Kogyoku was little more than a ceremonial figure in her own court. In 645 the resentment felt by court members and the Imperial family reached boiling point. Prince Naka no Oe and Court Minister Nakatomi no Kamatari formulated a coup d’état and assassinated the acting head of the Soga Clan, Soga no Iruka, while he was participating in a court function before the Empress. Upon learning of his son’s death the Soga Clan’s patriarch, Soga no Emishi, set fire to his estate and allowed himself to be immolated by the blaze. In wake of the violence Empress Kogyoku abdicated the throne and Prince Naka no Oe succeeded her as Emperor Tenjin. After acceding to the throne, Emperor Tenjin proclaimed Nakatomi no Kamatari the new clan lord Fujiwara no Kamatari and promoted him to Inner Minister. Together they implemented the Taika Reforms that restored power to the Imperial family and centralized Japan’s government. Upon his death in 669, Fujiwara no Kamatari was honored initially with a tomb at the summit of a mountain, and then with deification and enshrinement in a temple and shrine of his own.

In 678 Tanzan Shrine was founded as Tonomine Temple when Fujiwara no Jo’e, Fujiwara no Kamatari’s oldest son and a Buddhist monk, relocated his father’s tomb to the summit of Tonomine Mountain (the location at which Fujiwara no Kamatari and Prince Naka no Oe planned their coup and Taika Reforms), and constructed a 13-story pagoda over it. In 701 Tanzan Shinto shrine was founded on the same site as Tonomine Temple when a statue of Fujiwara no Kamatari was enshrined in a building next to the pagoda. The joint Tonomine Temple-Tanzan Shrine complex received a great deal of Imperial favor throughout the Heian period (794-1185). In later years, the influence once wielded by the Fujiwara clan and the reverence the location held brought it strong financial support from the Tokugawa Shogunate throughout the Edo period (1603-1868). Tonomine Temple was absorbed by Tanzan Shrine during the Meiji era (1868-1912) in a movement to separate Buddhism and Shinto, and no attempts were ever made to re-establish the temple. The entire complex, including the 13-story pagoda (the only one of its kind in the world), was rebuilt in 1532 after the original had been destroyed by a fire in 1173. Despite the fire, many important and historical artworks, artifacts, documents and records are preserved among Tanzan Shrine’s treasures. Many of them, along with the structures of Tanzan Shrine, are registered as Important Cultural Assets or National Treasures. Tanzan Shrine’s most well-known treasures are the more than 3,000 maple and other deciduous trees surrounding the shrine and lining its grounds. Towards the end of November the trees erupt into a vivid autumnal fire.

Tanzan Shrine is located near the summit of Tonomine Pass in Sakurai City. Sakurai Station is served by both JR and Kintetsu Line trains, and 8-10 buses a day make the round trip (¥980) to Tanzan Shrine from the number 1 bus stop near the station’s south exit. Alternatively, one can take the Kintetsu Line to Kashihara Jingumae or Asuka Stations, rent a bicycle or a 50cc scooter (Japanese or International Drivers Permit required to rent a scooter) from the Asuka Rent-a-cycle depot at either station, and make the ~6km ride to Tanzan Shrine. The climb up Tonomine Pass is long and a bit steep, but the views it offers, and the freedom to explore that riding a bicycle or scooter provides, are well worth the effort.