【秘境度MAX】とんでもない場所に佇む謎の神社…。酷道を乗り越え辿り着いた先は、絶景と心和むノスタルジックな神社だった。高知県穴場の観光スポット「聖神社」おっさんの寺社仏閣巡り

Hijiri Shrine, located in Minaminokawa, Ochi-cho, Takaoka-gun, Kochi Prefecture, is a shrine quietly built on a rocky outcrop in a deep mountain valley. Its location suggests that this place has held special significance since ancient times. While there are no clear records of its founding, the surrounding topography and the nature of its worship suggest it was deeply connected to the mountain worship of Shugendo (a form of Japanese mountain asceticism). This shrine is not located in the center of a settlement, but rather in a hollow in the rocks of a rugged mountain. Such places were often perceived by people in the past as an "otherworldly realm" separate from human living spaces, and were considered sacred places where gods and Buddhas resided. Shugendo practitioners (yamabushi), in particular, used the harsh natural environment itself as a training ground, performing prayers and ascetic practices in waterfalls, caves, and deep in the mountains. It is highly probable that Hijiri Shrine was also used as a training ground within this context. Another distinctive feature of this shrine is that it enshrines Fudo Myoo (Acala), rather than a Shinto deity. In esoteric Buddhism, Fudo Myoo is worshipped as a Buddha who wards off calamities and protects practitioners. Therefore, it is believed that Hijiri Shrine was not merely a local tutelary shrine, but a place of worship where mountain asceticism and Buddhist faith intertwined. In this way, Hijiri Shrine is a place that came into being through the convergence of its unique natural rocky terrain, the faith of Shugendo (mountain asceticism), and the prayers of the local community. Even today, its tranquil atmosphere conveys the history of mountain worship. #Japan #Shrine #Temple