Hachiman Shrine 八幡神社

Official explanation

Dedicated to Hondawake no Mikoto, the patron deity of warriors and fifteenth emperor of Japan, this shrine is known to some residents as Iwakawa Hachiman. The name recalls its origins as a place for worshipping the ancestors of the Iwakawa family, who served the Tanegashima clan that once governed Yakushima. An Iwakawa descendant was chief of the Hirauchi settlement centuries ago, and it seems likely that this site was a graveyard for the family. Twice yearly, in February and mid-August, the shrine’s shimenawa, the straw rope hung to demarcate sacred space, is fashioned anew with rice straw gathered from nearby farms. Visit during the August Obon festivities to see bo-odori, a rhythmic dance performed with sticks.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.