ABSTRACT
The Hachiman shrine, which was dedicated to the god of war, was one of the popular shrines in Japan’s feudal days and it was found everywhere throughout the country. Some of the famous Hachiman shrines are Iwashimizu Hachiman, Kyoto; Tsurugaoka Hachiman, Kamakura; Hakodate Hachiman, Hakodate; Fujisaki Hachiman, Kumamoto; Yusuhara Hachiman, Oita-ken; Usa Hachiman, Oita-ken. One fox-image of the Inari often carries a key in its mouth while the other has a ball under its forepaw. The Inari Shrine has a semi-annual festival: one in the spring to pray for a good crop and the other in the autumn to return thanks for the crop of the year. The Gotoku-ji Temple, which is situated at Setagaya in Tokyo, belongs to the Sodoshu sect of Buddhism. “Mask after mask was made, but every one looked dead,” Yashao said to himself after Yoriiye went away.
