Spatial Structure of Japanese Religion - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 63

Table 3.2 Thunder shrines in Ibaraki prefecture, 1989
No. Place Name of shrine Kami Status

1 Mito Betsurai-kotai 2 V

2 Mito Suirai-inari 3 N

3 Koga Raiden 1 N

4 Shimodate Kaminari 1 V

5 Yuki Raiden 1 V

6 Yuki Kaminari 1 N

7 Mitsukaido Kaminari 1 V

8 Hitachi-ota Kaminari 1 V

9 Hitachi-ota Kaminari 1 N

10 Kita-ibaraki Kaminari 1 N

11 Iwai Raisui 1 N

12 Tsukuba Raisui 1 N

13 Tsukuba Kaminari 1 V

14 Tsukuba Kanamura-betsurai 1 C

15 Ibaraki Shinmei-kaminari 3 V

16 Katsura Kaminari 1 N

17 Kanasago Betsurai-kotai 3 N

18 Suifu Kaminari 1 N

19 Hokota Kaminari 1 N

20 Aso Kaminari 1 V

21 Niihari Betsurai 1 N

22 Yawahara Kaminari 1 V

23 Makabe Raiden 1 V

24 Yamato Kaminari 1 V

25 Sowa Raiden 2 N

26 Sanwa Kaminari 1 V

1. Betsurai; C: country shrine
2. Other thunder god; V: village shrine
3. Others; N: no status shrine
Data source : The list of religious corporation in Ibaraki prefecture

et al. ( 1987 ) showed that the main river basins are often damaged by lightning,
which explains the accumulation of thunder shrines in this area. Second, many thun-
der shrines are located on the natural levees or fl oodplains of these rivers. This
means that an aspect of the thunder religion was a belief in the ruler of water, includ-
ing rainfall. Thunder seemed to symbolize the God of disaster avoidance, the
dragon, and a prayer for rainfall.
Kanamura (Fig. 3.16 , No. 14) was built in the year 931 by Masamoto Toyoda, the
fi rst lord of the Toyoda family, when he transferred the sacredness of the Kamo
Shrine in Kyoto to Kanamura. Kanamura is located on the fl oodplain formed by
Kokai River, 14 m above sea level. This river has no fi xed course and fl oods in heavy
rained caused huge damage. A crescent marsh has survived along the river and cre-
ated an interesting topography. Yet, believers claimed that Kanamura has never been
damaged by fl oods (Kushida 1978 ).