Azumamaro Shrine

When you go up the stone steps of Fushimiinari Shrine and pass through a tower gate, you'll see a small welcoming shrine on your right hand side. 　 On the shrine wall are hanged a large number of votive picture tablets and a thousand of folded paper cranes offered as prayers for passing the examination. 　 This shrine is the "Azumamaro Shrine". The deity of this shrine is Azumamaro Kada (1669-1763 AD). 　He was born along the pedigree of the Fushimiinari shrine priest under the family of Hakura. He developed the classic Japanese literature study and started the groundwork for “Manyoshu, Kojiki and Chronicles of Japan”. 　Kamono Mabuchi became his disciple, followed by Motoori Norinaga and Hirata Atsutane. He and his students became to be known as the four leaders of the nation. Although he aspired to establish a Japanese school in Higashiyama, unfortunately he died without achieving it. 　In the famous Japanese revenge story of "Akouroushi", he is depicted as to have handed the sketch of Kira house where the enemy lived. 　This is because Azumamaro was the personal, classical instructor of Kouzukenosuke Kira who was the enemy in the story. 　He played an important supporting role in the most famous Japanese Samurai revenge novel, “Chyushingura”.

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