Arare Tenjin Yama is dedicated to “Tenjin-sama,” or the “Thunder Deity,” as is Abura Tenjin Yama. As the deified form of virtuous 9th-century scholar and statesman Sugawara Michizane, modern Japanese pray to him as a god of education. History tells us that though Michizane was unjustly wronged, he suffered with dignity, and after his death his enemies met with calamaties; for these reasons he presents an archetypal human experience that many can relate to. It’s estimated there are more than 35,000 Tenjin shrines throughout the country. “Arare” means “hail;” chōnai tradition holds that during a terrible fire in 1510, hail suddenly started to fall in this neighborhood, putting out the fire.
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