Sawayaka Walking in Iwata (3) - Shrine dedicated to hero dog Shippeitaro

As I wrote in the previous article, there is a famous shrine in Mitsuke, Iwata. It is called Mitsuke Tenjin, implying that the shrine is dedicated to Michizane Sugawara, the god of learning (he was a scholar in the 9th century). But its official name is Yanahime Shrine as it is also dedicated to Yanahime-no-Mikoto who is a goddess for easy delivery, good children, nurturing, etc.

Beside the bright red gateway of Mitsuke Tenjin, there is a statue of Shippitaro, a hero dog that appears in the legend of the shrine. Long ago, a monster demanded a village maiden as a human sacrifice in the festival of Mitsuke Tenjin every year. A traveling monk found that the monster was afraid of “Shippeitaro” in Shinano (present Nagano Prefecture), which turned out to be a dog. The monk went to Shinano and borrowed Shippeitaro to take him to Mitsuke. In the next festival of the shrine, Shippeitaro fought with the monster and exterminated it. It turned out to be a big old monkey. When I was taking pictures of this dog with a firm body, someone said that he looked like a wolf. I agreed with him.

This is the main building of the shrine.

In front of the building, there were statues of an ox and a cow for making a prayer. We touched them while wishing something.

Behind Mitsuke Tenjin, there is a park with Reiken Shrine, the only shrine in Japan that is dedicated to a dog (Shippeitaro).

I heard this shrine is popular among people who have pets.

I returned to Mitsuke Tenjin and looked for Shippei, which is a mascot character of Iwata and used for various souvenirs. Wolf-like Shippietaro has been changed into a plump white dog like this.

In this picture, Shippei has a straw-skirt like two men behind him. This is the costume for the annual naked festival that is specified as one of important intangible folk-cultural properties in Japan.