Udo Jingū
Udo-jingū (鵜戸神宮) is a Shinto shrine in Nichinan, Miyazaki prefecture, Japan, south of Aoshima. It is the mythical birthplace of Emperor Jimmu's father Ugayafukiaezu.[1] According to shrine legends, it is the place where the sea goddess Toyotamahime, the mother of said Ugayafukiaezu, built a birth-hut from the feathers of a cormorant. Other gods venerated here are Yamasachihiko (alias Hohodemi alias Hoori, Jinmu's grandfather), Amaterasu, Amenooshihomimi, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, and Emperor Jimmu. While the original myth includes a tragic divorce of Ugayafukiaezu's parents, the shrine is popular with young couples hoping for easy childbirth and a happy marriage.
| Udo-jingū 鵜戸神宮 | |
|---|---|
 The honden (main shrine) | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shinto |
| Deity | Ugayafukiaezu Amaterasu Ame-no-oshihomimi Ninigi-no-Mikoto Hoori Emperor Jimmu |
| Location | |
| Location | 3232, Miyaura, Nichinan, Miyazaki 887-0101 |
  Shown within Japan | |
| Geographic coordinates | 31°39′01″N 131°28′00″E |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Glossary of Shinto | |
Local characteristics
Udo shrine is in a cave in the side of the cliff, near the Nichinan coast of Miyazaki. The honden, or main shrine, is in a cavern with a view of the ocean.
In the cave is the ochichi iwa, or "breast stone," a dripping stone which is said to have fed the kami Ugayafukiaezu, father of the first emperor of Japan, when his mother returned to the sea. The shrine sells a candy made from the water of this stone, mizuame, a kind of taffy.[2]
In the slight distance of the cavern is a rocky island with two peaks. Attendees can purchase small clay balls and attempt to toss them between the peaks for good luck.[2]
References
- Picken, Stuart D. B. (2010-12-28). Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Scarecrow Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-8108-7372-8.
- Dougill, John; Cali, Joseph (2013). Shinto shrines : a guide to the sacred sites of Japan's ancient religion. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press. ISBN 9780824837136. – via Project MUSE (subscription required)