Futarasan jinja - Nikko, Japon
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N 36° 45.498 E 139° 35.809
54S E 374752 N 4068978
Futarasan jinja is a Shinto shrine in the city of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
Waymark Code: WMZ8EY
Location: Tochigi, Japan
Date Posted: 09/28/2018
Views: 1
Futarasan jinja, also known as Nikko Futarasan Shrine, to distinguish it from the shrine in nearby Utsunomiya. Futarasan enshrines three deities: Okuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone. It is located between Nikko Tosho-gu and the Taiyu-in Mausoleum. Many visitors go to all three, as well as to Rinno-ji.
Together with Nikko Tosho-gu and Rinno-ji, it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine possesses two swords that are National treasures of Japan. Additionally, dozens of buildings and cultural artifacts are listed as Important Cultural Assets.
The Sacred Bridge (shinkyo) crossing the Daiya River belongs to the Futarasan Shrine. This beautiful vermilion lacquered structure is known as one of the three most beautiful bridges in Japan and is a perfect gateway for Nikko. The bridge was registered as a World Heritage in December 1999. Shinkyo measures 28 meters long, 7.4 meters wide, and stands 10.6 meters above the Daiya River. It has been opened to the general public since 1973.
According to legend, a priest named Shodo and his followers climbed Mt. Nantai in the year 766 to pray for national prosperity. However, they could not cross the fast flowing Daiya River. Shodo prayed and a 10 foot tall god named Jinja-Daiou appeared with two snakes twisted around his right arm. Jinja-Daiou released the blue and red snakes and they transformed themselves into a rainbow-like bridge covered with sedge, which Shodo and his followers could use to cross the river. That is why this bridge is sometimes called Yamasugeno-jabashi, which means the "Snake Bridge of Sedge".
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