Nan'yō Shrine
Encyclopedia
The is a Shinto
shrine located in the island of Koror
, in Palau
. The shrine was the ichinomiya of the Japanese-administered colonial government of the South Pacific Mandate
(Nan'yō-chō); and it was established in 1940. It was designated for the veneration of Amaterasu Ōmikami
.
The enshrinement ceremonies took three days, November 1–3, 1940 (Shōwa 15, 1st–3rd day of the 11th month). The shrine was situated at Koror because it was the Japanese colonial capital. From the outset, the Nan'yō Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. The shrine was construed by the Japanese government as marking "a step forward in the sacred task of constructing a New East Asian Order."
When the Allied forces threatened Palau in late 1944, the sacred symbols of the shrine were evacuated to Japan by submarine. The Shrine remained untouched by American bombing; but Japan's defeat in World War II ended this colonial administration and a sense of reverence for the shrine structures which were dismantled for use in rebuilding Koror. Only the stone steps to the upper platform and the great stone lanterns still remain as evidence of the former shrine precincts.
In 1983, plans were developed for a reconstruction of the shrine at its former site, and a miniature replica of the original shrine was completed with the funding of private sponsors from Japan
in 1993.
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
shrine located in the island of Koror
Koror
Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island ....
, in Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
. The shrine was the ichinomiya of the Japanese-administered colonial government of the South Pacific Mandate
South Pacific Mandate
The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...
(Nan'yō-chō); and it was established in 1940. It was designated for the veneration of Amaterasu Ōmikami
Amaterasu Omikami
, or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...
.
History
The process which lead to the establishment of the shrine began mid-1930s when the regional planning agency (Nan'yō Takushoku) was charged with the Japanization of Micronesia. The chief advocate for the shrine was Dōmoto Teiichi, who had been the private secretary to the Nan'yō-chō governor since 1936.The enshrinement ceremonies took three days, November 1–3, 1940 (Shōwa 15, 1st–3rd day of the 11th month). The shrine was situated at Koror because it was the Japanese colonial capital. From the outset, the Nan'yō Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. The shrine was construed by the Japanese government as marking "a step forward in the sacred task of constructing a New East Asian Order."
When the Allied forces threatened Palau in late 1944, the sacred symbols of the shrine were evacuated to Japan by submarine. The Shrine remained untouched by American bombing; but Japan's defeat in World War II ended this colonial administration and a sense of reverence for the shrine structures which were dismantled for use in rebuilding Koror. Only the stone steps to the upper platform and the great stone lanterns still remain as evidence of the former shrine precincts.
In 1983, plans were developed for a reconstruction of the shrine at its former site, and a miniature replica of the original shrine was completed with the funding of private sponsors from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1993.