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Sculpture of Raijin from Sanjūsangen-dō temple in Kyoto. Kamakura period, 13th century. Raijin (雷神, lit. "Thunder God"), also known as Kaminari-sama (雷様), Raiden-sama (雷電様), Narukami (鳴る神), Raikō (雷公), and Kamowakeikazuchi-no-kami is a god of lightning, thunder, and storms in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. [1]
Sanjūsangen-dō was founded by the famous samurai and politician Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181) in 1164 for the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. [1] [2] He built the temple in the emperor's own compound Hōjūji-dono in order to gain a noble title, that of Chancellor of the Realm, becoming the first samurai to do so.
Raijin (雷神) is the god of thunder and lightning and is often paired with Fūjin. As with the latter, Raijin is usually depicted as an oni. Ryūjin (龍神) Some traditions consider him and Ōwatatsumi as the same god. He is a dragon, as well as god of the sea. [6] Suijin (水神) The god of water.
Four statues are housed in the Kaminarimon, two in the front alcoves and two on the other side. On the front of the gate, the statues of the Shinto gods Fūjin and Raijin are displayed. Fūjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, while Raijin, the god of thunder, is located on the west side.
In 2007 the arrival of Fujin (Wind God) and Raijin (Thunder God) statues, completed the second phase of the temple's artistic additions. The statues which can be seen at the immediate entrance of the main hall were chosen to depict the Hawaiian prevailing trade winds with Fujin, and an appreciation for the power and force of nature in Raijin.
According to Kojiki, Fūjin and his brother Raijin were born from Izanami after she died. When Izanagi went down to Yomi to retrieve his wife, he saw her as a decaying corpse covered with demons. Izanagi rejected her, making Izanami furious, leading her and a few monsters to chase after Izanagi. Izanagi then blocked the entrance to Yomi.
It is also called "Raijin-sama" and "Kanamura-sama" by locals. It is the second largest shrine in Tsukuba, after Mt. Tsukuba Shrine, and it is one of the three major Raijin shrines in the Kanto area. [1] It is a Kamo shrine.
The temple was a replica of public Chinese monasteries found Zhejiang Province, which Japanese monks often frequented during the thirteenth century. [ 1 ] The monk Eisai , credited with introducing Zen to Japan, served as Kennin-ji's founding abbot and is buried on the temple grounds.