Suda Hachiman Shrine
Suda Hachiman Shrine is located in Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture, and stands as a significant historical and religious site in Japan.
Established likely in the eleventh century, Suda Hachiman is a branch shrine of the prominent Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine situated in Kyoto. It was built on the Suda no Shõ estate.
In 1355 it passed rules attempting to protect teapickers working on its land from labor abuses.
The shrine is most renowned for its 6th-century cast bronze mirror, designated as a National Treasure of Japan. Measuring 19.8 cm in diameter, the mirror features a detailed design with nine human figures, one mounted on a horse. Its design is reminiscent of Chinese cast-bronze mirrors from the Later Han and Six Dynasties periods.
This mirror's first recorded mention is in the 19th-century gazetteer Famous Places of Kii Province Illustrated, serialized in Wakayama City between 1811 and 1851. Its origins are debated; some believe it was discovered during the Edo period (1615-1868), while others think it may have belonged to an older, pre-existing shrine.
There are speculations regarding the mirror's origin. Some historians propose it was unearthed in the vicinity during the Edo period (1615-1868) along with other artifacts, while others theorize it could have belonged to an older shrine that was replaced by Suda Hachiman.
References
- ^ Bentley, John R. (2020-12-28). The Birth of Japanese Historiography. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-29569-6.
- ^ Impressions: Official Publication of the Ukiyo-e Society of America. Ukiyo-e Society of America. 2009.
- ^ Farris, William Wayne (2019). A Bowl for a Coin: A Commodity History of Japanese Tea. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-8261-7.
- ^ "The Bronze Mirror of Suda Hachiman Jinja Shrine | Search Details". Japan Tourism Agency,Japan Tourism Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ^ "Untitled" (PDF). www.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/common/001561114.pdf
- ^ Lurie, David Barnett (2009). "The Suda Hachiman Shrine Mirror and Its Inscription". Impressions (30): 27–31. ISSN 1095-2136. JSTOR 42597980.
