The Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred on New Year’s Day also caused significant damage to shrines in Ishikawa Prefecture that were crowded with New Year’s shrine visitors. According to the Prefectural Shrine and Shrine Agency, as of the end of February, at least 340 of the 1,867 shrines affiliated with the shrine had suffered damage such as broken worship halls and lanterns. There is a growing movement among shrines in the Oku-Noto region to explore the use of crowdfunding (CF), a method of raising funds on the Internet, to cover some of the restoration costs. (Koki Yamamoto)
◆Susu Shrine has a goal of 5 million yen
Suzu Shrine is known as the “guardian deity of the entire Sea of Japan area” and is located in Misaki-cho, Suzu City, Prefecture, near the tip of the Noto Peninsula. According to the shrine’s legend, it was built about 2,100 years ago during the reign of Emperor Sujin, and the remains include a flute that is said to have been dedicated to Minamoto no Yoshitsune when he fled to Oshu and Hiraizumi.
Negi’s Monkey Woman Toyonobu checks the washhouse that collapsed in the earthquake at Susu Shrine in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Around 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day, Toyonobu Sarume (56) of the Negi shrine was praying inside the shrine. Shortly after the second tremor, I heard a voice saying, “A tsunami is coming,” and evacuated to safe higher ground along with about 100 New Year’s shrine visitors from the shrine grounds. The tremor and tsunami caused extensive damage to surrounding houses. Inside the temple grounds, the torii gate was broken, and the top dogs and water fountains were destroyed. Some of the items were damaged in the earthquake last May and had just been repaired.
At this point, the national and prefectural governments have not clearly indicated any plans to support the restoration of shrines. On the 1st, Susu Shrine began appealing for support on its own CF site “Campfire.” The goal is to raise 5 million yen to cover the cost of rebuilding the main shrine. “Reviving local shrines is important in order to strengthen regional bonds,” Saru-onna says.
◆Yasaka Shrine costs about 8 million yen
Other shrines are also moving to utilize CF. At Yasaka Shrine (Ushitsu, Noto Town, Prefecture), the destination of mikoshi and kiriko for the Abare Festival, an intangible folk cultural property of the prefecture, the approximately 5-meter-tall torii gate collapsed. Sakataru and Hakusan shrines in the town, both of which are connected to the festival, were also damaged, and preparations are underway for a CF in hopes of raising about 8 million yen in repair costs.
The torii gate of Yasaka Shrine collapsed in the earthquake in Ushitsu, Noto Town, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Koji Morokado (63) of the Abare Festival Management Improvement Council prefaces this by saying, “Local support is essential for the reconstruction of the shrine,” adding, “The parishioners are also victims of the disaster, and we ask for your support.” It’s not an easy situation to say.” He says, “I would like to decide the amount to ask local people based on the support money collected from all over the country through CF.”
◆It is estimated that more than 1,300 businesses in the prefecture were affected.
The Prefectural Shrine and Shrine Agency has created an input form for disaster damage information and is collecting information from member companies in writing. In Oku-Noto, which has about 440 member shrines, many shrines have yet to be confirmed, and the damage is expected to increase further. They aim to confirm all companies in the prefecture by the end of this month, and estimate that more than 1,300 companies, or about 70% of the total, were affected by the disaster, including some damaged buildings. A person in charge said, “Once we understand the full extent of the damage, we would like to consult on an individual basis about protecting the shrine and repairing the building.”
2024-03-04 06:00:00
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