NIKKI-10

住吉大社

大阪にある住吉大社。ここが、実はオリオンの三ツ星を祀る神社だということを知っている人はどれくらいいるのだろうか。
住吉大社では、三つの同じ形のお社が、一直線に並んでいる。しかも西向きに。日本の神社では、三つお社を並べる場合には、並列にするのが普通で、しかも向きは南だ。そういう意味では、とても変わった神社だ。
御祭神は、底筒男命（そこつつのおのみこと）、中筒男命（なかつつのおのみこと）、表筒男命（うわつつのおのみこと）の三柱で、横に、この３神を祀った神功皇后が祀られている。
「筒」とは、日本の古語で「星」のことであるという。この３神はオリオンの三ツ星で、この三つの星が海面上から縦にならんで次々に姿を表わすさまをお祀りした神社であるともいう。そして、ここから、航海の安全を祈る「海の神」ともなった。
神功皇后は、この地から瀬戸内海を西進し（社殿が西を向く意味）、九州北部で北に屈折して大陸に向かった。戦いの女神である。

Sumiyosi-Taisha Shrine

Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine enshrines three stars of Orion in a big Shinto shrine in the south of Osaka. This is not generally known very much. In this Shinto shrine, three main shrine architectures, as just same form, are put in order lengthwise straightly. Besides, the direction faces west. When there are three main shrine architectures in the Shinto shrine of Japan, it is common to put in order them laterally. Besides, the direction faces south. Judging from this meaning, Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine is a very strange example maybe.
In this shrine, the three star-deities are enshrined. their name are thus, Soko-Tutu-no-O-no-Mikoto (deity of bottom star), Naka-Tutu-no-O-no-Mikoto (deity of middle star), Uwa-Tutu-no-O-no-Mikoto (deity of upper star). And beside their shrines, there is a shrine where Empress Jinguu was enshrined. She was that woman who enshrined three star-deities.
"Tutu" means "a star" by Japanese old words. These three Gods is three stars of the Orion constellation. It was said that, an appearance that these three stars line up perpendicularly and appear in sequence from the sea surface, was symbolized by three main shrine's strange sequence. And, from the above, these three gods became "the gods of the sea" who controlled the security of the voyage. The Her Majesty Empress Jinguu left this place and went ahead through the Seto Inland Sea to the west (the reason why three shrines turn to the west). And she changed a direction into the north in the northern part of Kyushu and went to the continent. She was a goddess of the fights.