Sōja (Shinto)

Sōja (総社) is a type of Shinto shrine where the kami of a region are grouped together into a single sanctuary. This "region" may refer to a shōen, village or geographic area, but is more generally referred to a whole province. The term is also occasionally called "sōsha". The sōja are usually located near the provincial capital established in the Nara period under then ritsuryō system, and can either be a newly created shrine, or a designation for an existing shrine. The "sōja" can also be the "ichinomiya" of the province, which themselves are of great ritual importance.[1]

Sōja Jinja in Sōja, Okayama, where 304 kami of Bitchu Province are collectively worshipped

Whenever a new kokushi was appointed by the central government to govern a province, it was necessary for him to visit all of the sanctuaries of his province in order to complete the rites necessary for ceremonial inauguration. Grouping the kami into one location near the capital of the province greatly facilitated this duty,[2]

The first mention of "sōja" appeared in the Heian period, in the diary of Taira no Tokinori, dated March 9, 1099 in reference to the province of Inaba. [3]

The name "Sōja" is also found in place names such as the city of Sōja in Okayama Prefecture.

Region	Province	Sōja		Location
Region	Province	Transliteration	kanji	Location
Kinai	Yamashiro	unknown
	Yamato	unknown
	Kawachi	Shikiagatanushi Jinja	志貴県主神社	Fujiidera, Osaka
	Izumi	Izumi Inoue Jinja	泉井上神社	Izumi, Osaka
	Settsu	unknown
Tōkaidō	Iga Province	unknown
	Ise	Miyake Jinja	三宅神社	Suzuka, Mie
	Shima	Kokufu Jinja	国府神社	Shima, Mie
	Owari	Owari Ōkunitama Jinja	尾張大国霊神社	Inazawa, Aichi
	Mikawa	Mikawa Sōja	国府町 (愛知県)#三河総社	Toyokawa, Aichi
	Tōtōmi	Ōmikunitama Jinja	淡海国玉神社	Iwata, Shizuoka
	Suruga	Shizuoka Sengen Shrine (Kambe Junja)	神部・浅間神社	Shizuoka, Shizuoka
	Izu	Mishima Taisha	三嶋大社	Mishima, Shizuoka
	Kai	Kaina Jinja	甲斐奈神社	Fuefuki, Yamanashi
	Sagami	Rokusho Jinja	六所神社	Ōiso, Kanagawa
	Musashi	Ōkunitama Shrine	大國魂神社	Fuchū, Tokyo
	Awa	Rokusho Jinja	六所神社	Tateyama, Chiba
	Kazusa	Togakushi Jinja	戸隠神社	Ichihara, Chiba
	Shimōsa	Rokusho Jinja	六所神社	Ichikawa, Chiba
	Hitachi	Hitachi-no-Kuni Sōshagū	常陸國總社宮	Ishioka, Ibaraki
Tōsandō	Ōmi	unknown
	Mino	Nangū Otabi Jinja	南宮御旅神社	Tarui, Gifu
	Hida	Hida Sōja	飛騨総社	Takayama, Gifu
	Shinano	Shinano Omiya Jinja	科野大宮社	Ueda, Nagano
	Kōzuke	Sōja Jinja	総社神社	Maebashi, Gunma
	Shimotsuke	Ōmiwa Jinja	大神神社	Tochigi, Tochigi
	Mutsu	Mutsu Sōsha-no-miya	陸奥総社宮	Tagajō, Miyagi
	Dewa	Rokusho Jinja	六所神社	Tsuruoka, Yamagata
Hokurikudō	Wakasa	Sōjinja	総神社	Obama, Fukui
	Echizen	Sōja Daijingū	総社大神宮	Echizen, Fukui
	Kaga	Isobe Jinja	石部神社	Komatsu, Ishikawa
	Noto	Sōsha	総社	Nanao, Ishikawa
	Etchū	unknown
	Echigo	Sōja (Fuchū Hachiman-gū)	総社	Jōetsu, Niigata
	Sado	Sōsha Jinja	総社神社	Sado, Niigata]]
San'indō	Tamba	Sōjinja	宗神社	Nantan, Kyoto
	Tango	unknown
	Tajima	Keta Jinja	気多神社	Toyooka, Hyōgo
	Inaba	unknown
	Hōki	Kokuchōri Jinja (Sōja-daimyōjin)	国庁裏神社	Kurayoshi, Tottori
	Izumo	Rokusho Jinja	六所神社	Matsue, Shimane
	Iwami	Ikan Jinja	伊甘神社	Hamada, Shimane
	Oki	Tamawakasumikoto Jinja (Sōja-daimyōjin)	玉若酢命神社 (総社大明神)	Okinoshima, Shimane
San'yōdō	Harima	Itatehyōzu Jinja	射楯兵主神社	Himeji, Hyōgo
	Mimasaka	Mimasaka Sōja-gū	美作総社宮	Tsuyama, Okayama
	Bizen	Bizen-no-kuni Sōja-gū	備前国総社宮	Okayama, Okayama
	Bitchū	Bitchū-no-kuni Sōja-gū	備中国総社宮	Sōja, Okayama
	Bingo	Sōja Jinja	総社神社	Fuchū, Hiroshima
	Aki	Sōja (Take Jinja)	総社 (多家神社)	Fuchū, Hiroshima
	Suō	Saba Jinja	(佐波神社)	Hōfu, Yamaguchi
	Nagato	Sōsha-gū	総社宮	Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
Nankaidō	Kii	Fumori Jinja	府守神社	Wakayama, Wakayama
	Awaji	Jūichimyōjin Jinja	十一明神神社	Minamiawaji, Hyōgo
	Awa	Hachiman Sōsha Ryo Jinja	八幡総社両神社	Tokushima, Tokushima
	Sanuki	Sōja Jinja	総社神社	Sakaide, Kagawa
	Iyo	Ikanashi Jinja	伊加奈志神社	Imabari, Ehime
	Tosa	Tosa Kokubun-ji	土佐国分寺	Nankoku, Kōchi
Saikaidō	Chikuzen	unknown
	Chikugo	Kōra taisha	味水御井神社	Kurume, Fukuoka
	Buzen	Sōsha Hachiman-gū	惣社八幡宮	Miyako, Fukuoka
	Bungo	unknown
	Hizen	unknown
	Higo	Kitaoka Jinja	北岡神社	Kumamoto, Kumamoto
	Hyūga	Tsuma Jinja	都萬神社	Saito, Miyazaki
	Ōsumi	Haraido Jinja	祓戸神社	Kirishima, Kagoshima
	Satsuma	Shukō Jinja	守公神社	Satsumasendai, Kagoshima
	Iki	Kō Jinja	興神社	Iki, Nagasaki
	Tsushima	unknown

References

Herbert, Jean (2011). Shinto:At the Fountain-head of Japan. Routledge. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-415-59348-9.
Bocking, Brian (2016). A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Routledge. ISBN 978-1138979079.
Hardacre, Helen (2016). Shinto: A History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190621711.

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[Herbert-1] Herbert, Jean (2011). Shinto:At the Fountain-head of Japan. Routledge. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-415-59348-9.

[Bocking-2] Bocking, Brian (2016). A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Routledge. ISBN 978-1138979079.

[Hardacre-3] Hardacre, Helen (2016). Shinto: A History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190621711.

Sōja (Shinto)

See also

References