is a Shinto

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 at Ōtsu

Otsu, Shiga

is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years and a population density of 905.28 persons per km²...

 in Shiga Prefecture

Shiga Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...

, 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...

. The shrine is also known in Japanese (esp. formerly) as .

History

The shrine was established in the 43rd year of the reign of the legendary Emperor Keiko

Emperor Keiko

; also known as Ootarashihikooshirowake no Sumeramikoto, was the 12th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 71–130.-Legendary narrative:Keikō is...

, shortly after the death of his son Yamato Takeru

Yamato Takeru

, originally Prince Ousu was a Japanese legendary prince of the Yamato dynasty, son of Keikō of Yamato, a legendary monarch who is traditionally counted as the 12th Tennō or Emperor of Japan. The tragic tale of this impressive figure is told in the Japanese chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki...

.

The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

 and it was accorded some attention during the Kamakura period

Kamakura period

The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....

; however, the Shrine was amongst the many which failed to prosper during the difficult years of the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

.

• 755 (Tenpyō-shōhō
  Tenpyo-shoho
  was a after Tenpyō-kanpō and before Tenpyō-hōji. This period spanned the years from July 749 through August 757. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
  
   7, 3rd month): The shrine was moved to its current location on orders of Empress Kōken
  Empress Koken
  , also known as , was the 46th and the 48th emperor of Japan respectively, according to the traditional order of succession. Empress Kōken first reigned from 749 to 758, then she reascended the throne as Empress Shōtoku from 765 until her death in 770....
  
  .
• 1190 (Kenkyū
  Kenkyu
  was a after Bunji and before Shōji. This period spanned the years from April 1190 through April 1199. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1190 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events...
  
  1, 11th month): Minamoto no Yoritomo visited the shrine on his way to Kyoto.
• 1233 (Jōei
  Joei
  was a after Kangi and before Tenpuku. This period spanned the years from April 1232 to April 1233. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* 1232 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events...
  
   2): Kujō Yoritsune
  Kujo Yoritsune
  , also known as Fujiwara no Yoritsune, was the fourth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was kanpaku Kujō Michiie and his grandmother was a niece of Minamoto no Yoritomo...
  
   completedly rebuilt the structures of the shrine.
• 1868 (Meiji 1, 9th month): When Emperor Meiji
  Emperor Meiji
  The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
  
   made his first visit to Edo
  Edo
  , also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
  
  , he dispatched an emissary to the shrine with aheikaku for the kami.

Takebe was designated as the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) for the former Ōmi province

Omi Province

is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...

.
From 1871 through 1946, the Takebe was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines which were especially venerated by the imperial family.

Festivals

Annual festivals at Takebe include modern events like the Reisai in mid-April and older rites such as

• Gokokusai or Gokoku no matsuri in early February.
• Funayiki no matsuri in mid August
• Chinkwa-sai in late November.

See also

• List of Shinto shrines
• Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines
  Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines
  The The The (sometimes called simply , was an organizational aspect of the establishment of Japanese State Shinto. This system classified Shinto shrines as either official government shrines or "other" shrines...
  
  
• Ōmi Maru
  Ōmi Maru
  was the name of two Japanese ocean liners owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha , Tokyo.The name Ōmi Maru derives from Ōmi province.-1884-1910 vessel:The first NYK ship named Ōmi Maru was part of the fleet between 1885 and 1910.-1912-1942 vessel:...