📷 Autumn Quiet at Hokkaido-Jingu

When Japan restructured its government in 1871 and extended its control into Hokkaido, Emperor Meiji named three guardian gods, Okunitama, Onamuchi, and Sukunahikona, to watch over the unfolding future of Hokkaido. A small sanctuary called Sapporo-jinja was built, and it slowly became more and more reocgnized. Then, almost 100 years later, in 1964, the soul of Emperor Meiji himself was added as a fourth deity there, and the shrine was renamed Hokkaido-Jingu.

  • Visitors pause at the large wooden torii gate at Hokkaido-Jingu in Sapporo during a calm autumn afternoon
    Visitors pause at the torii gate marking entry into Hokkaido-Jingu
  • Close-up of a stone lantern with sunlight filtering through trees in Sapporo’s Hokkaido-Jingu.
    Light and shadow play across a weathered lantern.
  • Stone lantern along the shrine path surrounded by greenery at Hokkaido-Jingu
    Stone lanterns trace the path toward the sanctuary
  • Visitor washing hands at the temizuya water pavilion for purification before entering the holy area at Hokkaido-Jingu
    Ritual cleansing before entering sacred space
  • The main building of Hokkaido-Jingu with large white banners displaying the imperial chrysanthemum crest
    The imperial chrysanthemum marks this sanctuary’s deep history
  • Wooden offering box in front of a glass and wood screen at Hokkaido-Jingu
    Wooden textures hold years of devotion
  • Lantern decorated with the imperial crest hanging above the gravel courtyard at Hokkaido-Jingu
    A lantern bearing the chrysanthemum symbol
  • People gathered in the courtyard seen from inside the sanctuary under white imperial crest banners.
    From within the sanctuary, visitors gather in the open courtyard beyond
  • Wooden ema plaques with handwritten prayers hang on a wooden rack in the courtyard of Hokkaido-Jingu in Sapporo
    Wooden ema hold visitors’ wishes and prayers
  • A woman reads her omikuji fortune at Hokkaido-Jingu while tied paper fortunes hang blurred in the foreground
    Reading an omikuji fortune
  • A wooden passageway between shrine buildings lined with tall columns in afternoon light
    Wooden passageways connect sacred spaces
  • A Shinto clergy member in green robes walks into the shrine area carrying a harai gushi purification wand at Hokkaido-Jingu
    A Shinto priest carries a harai gushi, used for purification rituals
  • A Shinto clergy member walks across the wide gravel courtyard at Hokkaido-Jingu
    A moment of ceremony in motion across the courtyard
  • A family walking after a ceremony showing traditional kimono and sandals against the gravel courtyard at Hokkaido-Jingu
    Living traditions: a family departs after a ceremony.
  • A woman walks along a wide gravel path lined with trees turning autumn colors at Hokkaido-Jingu.
    A quiet walk beneath autumn leaves on the main approach to the shrine

The main building you see today is a restored version after a fire destroyed the original in 1974. The beautiful wooden structures, old trees, and wide gravel paths provide a calm that you can feel as soon as you walk through the gate.

Naturalist’s Notebook
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Notice

Find a place to sit and watch as people visit the shrine. Observe three different visitors and note —not intrusively—their sequence of steps from arrival to departure. How are they different or the same? How much can you understand from their movement alone?

hand drawn ear

Create a sound diary

Stop and listen for a few minutes. Make a list of all the sounds you hear. Be sure to include sounds that come from natural, living things; natural non-living things; humans, and human-made things.

hand drawn question mark

Ask

What is the oldest things you see? What is the youngest? (Keep in mind some of these buildings have been restored, so this might take some investigating on your part.)

Posted In: Sapporo, Inheritance in Motion, Japan, Place as Story, Sightlines

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