The Ancient Documents of Hiromine Shrine


Hiromine Shrine was founded by Kibi-no-Makibi, the beginning was that Taisha temple was built at Haku-hei mountain in 734(Tempyo 6). The Shrine was transfered to the present location in 972(tenroku 3). The main temple and the oratory are the important cultural properties of the country, and are famous for the greatest size in Japan.
Hiromine Shrine deifies Susano-no-Mikoto as main God, and that is said to trace back to ritual of Shin-ko Empress in ancient times. A branch was founded at Katsuhara in Ymanashiro in 869(Jogan 11). That is the reason why Hiromine Shrine is called “Gion-Honja Harima-Koku Hiromine-Sha”. Hiromine Shrine became to be considered as a branch of Gion-Yasaka Shrine, because Gion-Yasaka Shrine developed greatly. But Hiromine was a headquarters essentially. Hiromine Shrine, as the local shrine in Harima, was famous at the then capital. Parishioners was distributed widely through surrounding area; Settsu, Tajima, Tanba, Bingo, Inaba, Mimasaka, Tango and so on.
The Documents of Hiromine Shrine are descendants of Hiromine Shrine. And these are kept by Hiromine shrine, the house of Koizuka, and Kobe University Library. The documents in Kobe University were bought by Himeji high school under the old system first, and were given up to Kobe University when Himeji high school was reorganized.