Hachiman- Japanese GodDeity"God of War"

Birth Through War

The Nihon Shoki records that Empress Jingū received an oracle commanding her to cross the sea and conquer a land rich in gold and silver. Her husband Chūai ignored the instruction and died shortly after. Jingū, pregnant with Ōjin, bound stones to her belly to delay childbirth, led her army across the strait to the Korean peninsula, and returned victorious. Ōjin was born upon her return, carried through war before he drew his first breath.

After his death, Ōjin was enshrined as Hachiman at Usa in Buzen Province on Kyushu. He is worshipped in a triad alongside Himegami and Empress Jingū, a configuration preserved at virtually all Hachiman shrines. The original shrine, Usa Hachimangū, was founded in 725 CE and became the model for thousands of branch shrines across Japan.

The Oracle at Usa

In 749 CE, an oracle from Hachiman at Usa declared the deity's support for the construction of the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji in Nara. Emperor Shōmu welcomed the endorsement, and a purple palanquin carried Hachiman's spirit from Usa to the capital.

Twenty years later, the oracle shaped an imperial succession crisis. The Buddhist monk Dōkyō, who had gained enormous influence over Empress Shōtoku, sought to be declared emperor. The court dispatched Wake no Kiyomaro to Usa to consult Hachiman. The oracle replied that only those of imperial blood could ascend the throne. Dōkyō's ambitions were ended. Kiyomaro was exiled for delivering the unwelcome message, though he was later celebrated as a loyalist hero.

Patron of the Minamoto

The Minamoto clan adopted Hachiman as their tutelary deity. Minamoto no Yoshiie, one of the clan's great warriors, was called "Hachiman Tarō," First Son of Hachiman, having undergone his coming-of-age ceremony at Iwashimizu Hachimangū. During the Genpei War, Minamoto warriors invoked Hachiman before each engagement. Their triumph at the naval battle of Dan-no-ura and Yoritomo's establishment of the Kamakura shogunate were understood as Hachiman's will fulfilled.

Yoritomo built Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura, its grand avenue running from the coast to the sanctuary. The tomoe symbol associated with Hachiman appeared on armor and banners throughout the medieval period.

The Divine Wind

When Kublai Khan sent fleets to conquer Japan in 1274 and 1281, the Kamakura government organized prayers at Hachiman shrines across the country. The first invasion force was repelled at Hakata Bay, aided by a sudden storm that scattered the Mongol fleet.

The second invasion was far larger: over 140,000 troops on some 4,400 vessels. After weeks of fighting, a massive typhoon struck, destroying the bulk of the fleet and drowning tens of thousands. These "divine winds," kamikaze, were attributed to Hachiman and the other protective kami. The god who had been born through one war now ended another with weather alone.