User:DualPlay/Suwa

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Suwa : 諏訪市
↓   1941 – Present
General Information
Time of Exist:	10 August 1941 - Present
Languages:	Japanese
Affiliation:	Country: Japan
Religions:	Moriyanism Shintō
Relations and Opinions
Friends:	Chino Shimosuwa
Likes:	Onbashira
Historical Information
Preceded By:	Kamisuwa Toyoda Shiga

Suwa (諏訪市; Suwa-shi) is a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It does belong to Suwa Lake.

History

This section also includes a part of Touhou lore since it influenced Suwa city itself.

Ancient

The exact date of the foundation of the Grand Shrine of Suwa is unknown. Nihon Shoki mentions that the shrine already existed in the late 7th century. This shrine is made up of two main shrine on two sides of the lake: Upper Shrine (上社; Kamisha), located in Suwa, and Chino while Lower Shrine (下社; Shimosha) located in Shimosuwa.

The local Suwa clan has controlled Suwa since ancient times. While ōhōri, a young boy considered to be a reincarnation of Takeminakata, was officially the chief priest of the Upper Shrine, de facto jinchōkan organized everything.

Legend about the war

The war happened in the Yamato period, approximately between mid-4th and late 6th century AD. Potentially, it was a conflict between the Moriya and Suwa clans.

Moreya is a god and mythical ancestor of the Moriya clan who controlled Mishaguji which curses and punishes those who disregarded him. He is sometimes compared with Mononobe no Moriya who fought against Prince Shotoku.

Takeminakata, on the other hand, is a god and a son of Ōkuninushi who was forced to exile in the "sea of Suwa in the land of Shinano". He is married to Yasakatome. Together, they founded the Suwa clan. Takeminakata was on Yamato side

Initially, Moreya dominated through iron weaponry (this can be seen through her iron rings). Everything changed when Takeminakata held a thin wisteria vine against Suwako's army, rusting the entire army. Moreya had no choice but to surrender.

After her victory, Takeminakata became the goddess of the Moriya community. However, people rejected the new goddess. Knowing people were unhappy, Takeminakata called the god Moriya. Without having to maintain the Moriya community, Takeminakata secretly became the goddess of the mountains.

Feudal

During Mongol invasions of Japan, Takeminakata supported Japan.

Takeda period

In the Siege of Kuwabara in 1542, the Takeda clan conquered the Kuwabara Castle which had previously belonged to the Suwa clan. Suwa Yorishige, the last ruler of the Suwa clan, has committed suicide, ending the main bloodline of the Suwa clan. Takeminakata's authority in the Suwa temple was not lost, as the Takeda clan highly valued the god.

Edo period

When Takeda was destroyed by an alliance of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, Suwa Yoritada, Yorishige's younger brother, allied with the last one and returned to his domain in 1601.

Yorimizu, Yoritada's eldest son, became the first daimyō to rule Suwa Domain. Yorihiro was the first ōhōri in office. There were 10 generations of the Suwa clan until the abolition of the han system by Meiji reforms.

When State Shinto was introduced, the Suwa clan lost control over the shrine's traditional priestly offices (which defuncted after).

City

Suwa town was founded on August 10, 1941, combining Kamisuwa, Toyoda, and Shiga villages.

The last Suwa ōhōri, fifteenth after Yorihiro, died in 2002.

When Mountain of Faith was released, Suwa became more popular because of the Moriya Shrine owned by gods Kanako Yasaka, Suwako Moriya and the shrine maiden Sanae Kochiya. The Moriya Shrine is based on the real-life Suwa Grand Shrine.

Relations

Friends

• Shimosuwa - We have similar traditions but we're located on different sides of the Suwa Lake.
• Chino - Together we're a part of Upper Shrine.