RiceSakeSaltWaterThe release of living creaturesA bow and arrows left at the shrine
Invocation Approach
Tone
Martial steady formal
Address
HachimanHachiman DaibosatsuKami of the Bow
Relationship
A soldier before the patron of the clan
Warning
He is the kami of war and of the state that wages it
Resonance
Warriors archers the guardians of a house those who keep a clan rite
Symbols
Bow and arrowDoveThe character hachiSacred horseHojo e
Mythology Summary
Hachiman is the kami of war and archery whose oracle at Usa in Kyushu, in the eighth century, endorsed the great Buddha of Todai-ji, and who was identified with the deified Emperor Ojin. As Hachiman Daibosatsu, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, he carried a bodhisattva title within the shinbutsu-shugo synthesis, and his cult became the patron cult of the Minamoto and of the samurai, with the great shrines at Usa, Iwashimizu and Tsurugaoka. His messenger is the dove, and his characteristic rite is the hojo-e, the release of living creatures.
Modern Practice
He is honoured with rice, sake and salt at the New Year and at the shrine's autumn festival, and by archers and martial artists at the start of training. The hojo-e, buying live fish or birds to set free, is still performed at Usa and Iwashimizu and remains the most distinctive Hachiman practice.