丹生都比売神社の歴史
神社の正確な起源は分かりませんが、丹生都比売神社は日本でもっとも古い神社のひとつとされています。『播磨国風土記』によると、応神天皇が4世紀にこの地域を神々に捧げました。 神社には四神が祀られており、主祭神は神道で最も重要な神である天照大神の妹の丹生都比売大神です。
伝説によると、この神社は1281年の二度目のモンゴル襲来の前に神託を授かりました。丹生都比売神社の四神は一羽の大鴉を伴って侵略者たちが上陸していた九州に先陣を切って飛びました。大鴉は羽ばたいて神風を起こし、モンゴルの船団を蹴散らしました。モンゴルの襲来は再び台風によって退却させられ、幕府はこの四神のはたらきを讃えて、この神社を紀伊国（現在の和歌山）の一宮に定めました。
丹生都比売神社と高野山のつながりは、さらに古い時代にさかのぼります。別の伝説によると、 丹生都比売大神は空海が仏教の密教を広める場所をつくるために、彼に自分の神聖な土地の一部を与えました。高野山を開くにあたって最初に行ったのは、丹生都比売大神の寛大さに感謝を捧げるための大きな神社を建てることでした。
今日でも、町石道という参詣道を通って高野山に登ろうとする人々は、丹生都比売神社に参拝します。
この神社は、「紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道」の一部として2004年にユネスコ世界遺産に登録されました。

本殿
四棟の本殿は、右から左に向かってそれぞれ次の神々を祀っています。

第一殿: 丹生都比売大神。神社の主神である女神。災いを払い退けると言われ、長寿、農業、養蚕、機織りと関連づけられています。
第二殿: 高野御子大神 (別称 狩場明神)。丹生都比売大神の息子で、高野山の開祖である空海の前に猟師の姿で現れ、彼を高野山に導きました。また、嘆願者を幸福に導くともいわれています。
第三殿: 大食津比売大神。食物を司る女神。
第四殿: 市杵島比売大神。弁財天という財と芸術を司る仏教の神に比定される神道の女神。

The History of Niutsuhime Jinja Shrine
The exact origins of this shrine are lost in the mists of time, but it is considered one of the oldest in Japan. According to the ancient almanac Harima no kuni fudoki, Emperor Ojin dedicated this area to the gods in the fourth century.
Four gods are enshrined, with the main deity being Niutsuhime, the younger sister of the most important deity of the Shinto religion, the sun goddess Amaterasu. While originally associated with weaving, Niutsuhime gained a more martial image in the thirteenth century.
In 1274, the Mongols’ first attempt to invade Japan failed due to a sudden violent typhoon. The shogunate deeply feared a second invasion, however, and sent emissaries to all of the major shrines to ask the gods for protection.
According to legend, this shrine received an omen prior to a second Mongol invasion in 1281. The four gods of Niutsuhime Shrine, accompanied by a great crow, took the lead and flew to the island of Kyushu, where the invaders were landing. The great crow beat its huge wings, creating a divine wind that scattered the Mongolian fleet. The invasion was once again turned back by a typhoon, and in recognition of the four gods’ intervention, the shogunate designated this as the main shrine of the Kii region (modern-day Wakayama).
Niutsuhime Shrine’s connection to Koyasan goes back even further. According to another legend, the goddess granted part of her sacred lands to the founder of Koyasan, the priest Kukai (posthumously known as Kobo Daishi; 774835), to build his center for esoteric Buddhism. His first act upon establishing Koyasan was to raise a large Shinto shrine to thank the goddess for her generosity.
This kind of interreligious cooperation was common, as Buddhism and Shinto peacefully co-existed for over a thousand years after the former’s introduction to Japan in the sixth century. Niutsuhime Shrine and Koyasan are still deeply interconnected to this day, as those planning to climb up to Koyasan via the Choishi Michi (Stone Marker Route) pay their respects at the shrine.
The shrine was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, as part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.

Main Sanctuary
From right to left, the four main halls of the sanctuary enshrine:

Hall 1: Niutsuhime, the main goddess of the shrine, who is said to exorcise misfortune, and is connected to longevity, agriculture, silkworm culture and weaving.
Hall 2: Takanomiko (also known as Kariba Myojin), son of Niutsuhime, who appeared in the guise of a hunter to Kobo Daishi (774835), the founder of Koyasan, and led him to the mountaintop. Also said to guide supplicants on the path to happiness.
Hall 3: Ogetsuhime, the goddess who governs and protects food.
Hall 4: Ichikishimahime, a Shinto representation of Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess of financial prosperity and the arts.

In 1469, the honden (main sanctuary) was reconstructed in a shrine architecture style from the earlier Kamakura period (11851333), which is how it still appears today. The roof is a marvel of traditional craftsmanship, made up of countless 2-millimeter-thick strips of layered hinoki cypress bark compressed to create a thick, waterproof layer of thatch.
The shrine’s brilliant vermillion color is meant to resemble cinnabar, an ore of mercury that has been used for many centuries to make a vivid red pigment. Cinnabar’s bright orange-red color was considered powerful protection from evil forces and bad luck, and many temples and shrines were painted vermillion to call upon this supernatural power. As the color was immensely difficult to compose, the profuse use of it here is a symbol of the shrine’s high status.
Visitors may notice that the main sanctuary is more heavily decorated with intricate carvings and paintings than most shrines. Painted carvings of dragons, elephants and shishi lion-dogs adorn the horizontal beams, while on the eaves are carvings of the ogarasu crow, which, according to legend, helped protect Japan’s shores from the Mongolian invasions in the thirteenth century.