著者

田中 由利子

出版者

九州大学大学院比較社会文化学府

雑誌

比較社会文化研究

巻号頁・発行日

no.31, pp.43-58, 2011

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The term "Furegashira" was introduced by studies on the control of the furegashira(触頭):a shrine appointed as a head of the Shinto priest organizations which were under the control of a particular feudal clan(藩) during the pre-modern period. The purpose of this study is to examine how a Shinto shrine with a lower rank was able to control other shrines with higher ranks. In this paper, I closely examined the dispatch of the imperial messengers, or Hōheishi-hakken(奉幣使発遣), to Kashii shrine in the Fukuoka domain, which happened three times—1744, 1804, and 1864—throughout the pre-modern period. In previous studies, furegashira were often venerable Shinto shrines with a long history and a high, or the highest, ranking status. However, Sakurai shrine in the Fukuoka domain had a short history and a low status, yet it was appointed to become furegashira by the second feudal lord of the Fukuoka domain, KURODA Tadayuki. It is believed his unwavering faith in the Sakurai Shrine is what lead to its granting of this status. The Sakurai shrine faced difficulties in controlling the other smaller and medium sized shrines of varying statuses, and those with higher status showed hesitation to obey the furegashira(Sakurai shrine's) commands. When the first Imperial messenger was sent, on the surface, the other Shinto priests and Ujiko(氏子), (local residents who worship the same guardian deity) seemed to recognize Sakurai shrine's new status of furegashira. In reality, however, they completely ignored this fact. It was after the visit of the second Imperial messenger that Sakurai shrine's status of furegashira was finally recognized by other Shinto priests. In can be said, therefore, that the Imperial messengers had a significant influence on the ability of Sakurai shrine furegashira to gain control over other shrines of the Fukuoka feudal clan, as well as the furegashira of Yoshidake-honjo(吉田家本所, the head of the Shinto school).