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Goshuincho 4 · #08

櫛田神社

Kushida Jinja
Type
Shinto shrine — Hakata 総鎮守
Date received
23 Mar 2025
Confidence
name 99%date 97%

Confidence

Field Confidence Notes
Shrine name 99% Center calligraphy clearly reads 櫛田神社; right column reads 博多總鎮守 (Hakata Sō-chinju — "Tutelary deity of all Hakata"); the central red square tensho seal reads 櫛田神社; and the 三つ亀甲に五三桐 (mitsu-kikkō ni go-shichi-no-kiri) crest at the top — a triple-tortoise-shell with paulownia inside — is documented as Kushida Jinja's exclusive shrine crest.
Date 97% 令和七年 三月 廿三日 — all date characters legible. 23 March 2025.

Identification

  • Name (Japanese): 櫛田神社
  • Name (Romanized): Kushida Jinja
  • Common name: お櫛田さん (O-Kushida-san)
  • Type: Shinto shrine — official 博多総鎮守 (tutelary shrine of all Hakata)
  • Enshrined deity: 大幡主命 (Ōhata-nushi-no-mikoto, principal kami) + 天照皇大神 (Amaterasu Ōmikami) + 素盞嗩尊 (Susanoo-no-Mikoto)
  • Location: Kamikawabata-machi 1-41, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City
  • Date received: 令和七年三月廿三日 = 23 March 2025 (Reiwa 7)

Reading the goshuin

Element Reading Position
奉拝 Hōhai — "humbly worshipped" Top right column
博多總鎮守 Hakata Sō-chinju — "Tutelary deity of all Hakata" Right column, top
櫛田神社 Kushida Jinja — shrine name (calligraphy) Center, large brush
櫛田神社 (tensho seal script) Kushida Jinja (red square seal) Center, large red seal
三つ亀甲に五三桐 Triple-tortoise-shell with go-shichi paulownia (red) Top right, red emblem
令和七年三月廿三日 Reiwa 7, 3rd month, 23rd day = 23 March 2025 Left column

About the shrine

According to shrine tradition, Kushida Jinja was founded in 757 (Tenpyō Hōji 1) during the Nara period, when the kami of Kushida Jinja in Mie Prefecture's Matsuzaka was solemnly invited (勧請 / kanjō) to Hakata. This makes it one of the oldest shrines in Hakata and arguably the city's most culturally central religious site.

After falling into disrepair during the Sengoku-era turbulence, the present shrine buildings were established in 1587 (Tenshō 15) by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as part of his Hakata machiwari (urban replanning) project — a comprehensive rebuilding of Hakata after it had been devastated in earlier wars. Hideyoshi's restoration of Kushida Jinja was a public symbol of his commitment to Hakata's revival.

What it's known for

  • 博多祇園山笠 (Hakata Gion Yamakasa) — the famous UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage summer festival (1–15 July annually), in which seven enormous 山笠 (yamakasa) floats are carried at running pace through Hakata's streets by teams of men in fundoshi loincloths. The festival's prayers and processions all originate at and culminate at Kushida Jinja's grounds. The 飾り山笠 (decorative tall yamakasa) is permanently displayed in front of the shrine year-round
  • 博多どんたく — another major Hakata festival (3–4 May annually), also rooted at Kushida Jinja
  • 商売繁盛 (shōbai hanjō) — business prosperity; Hakata is historically Japan's first international trading port, and Kushida is the merchants' shrine
  • 不老長寿 (furō chōju) — long life and ageless vitality (the central deity Ōhata-nushi is associated with this)

About the goshuin design

Kushida Jinja issues its standard goshuin in two main contexts: the daily standard 博多総鎮守 design (this scan) and 山笠期間限定 (Yamakasa-period limited) variants during early-to-mid July. The 三つ亀甲に五三桐 crest combines:

  • 三つ亀甲 (mitsu-kikkō) — three tortoise-shell hexagons signifying longevity (亀 / turtle = 10,000 years in Japanese tradition); used by the Izumo Taisha lineage and ancient Munakata-related shrines
  • 五三桐 (go-shichi-kiri) — paulownia leaves with 5-7-5 flower clusters; the imperial-grant crest that Hideyoshi adopted as his personal device, marking Kushida Jinja's link to Hideyoshi's 1587 patronage

The 博多総鎮守 designation in the brush column emphasizes the shrine's status — the only "Sō-chinju" (overarching tutelary deity) of the entire Hakata urban area.

Sources

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