Trip to Ikuta Jinja | The Mercer Family Adventures

On January 3rd 2005, Ai & Junya along with Kana and myself took a trip to Kobe to visit Ikuta Shrine. We had a lot of fun that day experiencing a Japanese New Year tradition. Happy year of the Chicken!

(The following courtesy of Wikipedia)
Ikuta Shrine (Ikuta-jinja) is a Shinto shrine in the Chuo Ward of Kobe, Japan, and is possibly among the oldest shrines in the country.

According to Nihonshoki, it was founded by the Empress Jingū at the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. to enshrine the kami Wakahirume, and was used as the base for a festival welcoming warriors back from the latest attempt to invade Korea. It was one of three shrines established at this time, the others being Hirota Jinja, dedicated to Amaterasu, and Nagata Jinja, dedicated to Kotoshiro-nushi (also known as Ebisu).

During the Genpei War, parts of the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani took place in and around this shrine, and are commemorated by markers in the Ikuta forest behind the shrine. Of course, the shrine’s land was much larger back then, before the city of Kobe was built around it. Thus, the precise locations of skirmishes or events can no longer be commemorated on shrine land.

2005年1月3日、アイ、ジュンヤさんと一緒に神戸は生田神社へ初詣に出かけ、日本の新年を楽しんできました。

（以下ウィキペディアより抜粋）
生田神社は神戸市中央区にある神道の神社で全国にある神社の中でも最も古い神社のひとつである。

日本書紀によると、3世紀初めに神功皇后（じんぐうこうごう）によって稚日女尊（わかるひめのみこと）を祀るために建てられ、韓国侵攻から戻った兵士たちを労う祭事を行うのに遣われていたという。同じ頃に、廣田神社（天照大神を祭神とする）と長田神社（事代主神を祭神とする）も建てられた。

境内には幾多の歌にも詠まれた「生田森」が残っており、かつては源平の戦場にもなった森が今では市民の憩いの場になっている。