Battleground of Battle of Sekigahara
The fateful Battle of Sekigahara.
Mount Nangu, located in the south-east of Sekigahara, is the place where the Mouri clan of the West Army encamped. When you pass under the gateway of the shrine with Mt. Nangu in the background, the main shrine of Nangu Taisha comes into view. What catches people’s eyes is the beautiful vermillion color.
The beauty and the majesty of the vermillion colored buildings, such as the tower gate and the shrine, are breathtaking.
The exact year of construction is unknown, but according to the shrine’s legend, it already existed in the myth era in the times of Emperor Jinmu, the first emperor. Later, around the reign of the tenth emperor Sujin, the shrine was restored to the emperor at its current location as ”Nakayama Kanayamahiko Shrine”.
The name of ”Nakayama Kanayamahiko Shrine” was also listed as the best shrine of Mino area on ”Engishiki”, which was written in the Heian period. In later periods, the shrine came to be known as ”Nangu Taisha” because of its location south of the provincial capital, and was worshipped by many people.
Reconstruction of the shrine
During the battle of Sekigahara, the shrine was attacked and burned to the ground. The shrine was reconstructed in 1642 by the Shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa, to fulfill the wishes of the local people. The current vermillion colored buildings were built at this time.
The shrine is sometimes called “”Camellia Shrine””, because there is a forest of camellias within the property. Looking toward the shrine from the forest of camellias, you see Mount Nangu in the background, and it is a profound view filled with mystery.
