Deity of white snake dragon
巳さん（白蛇龍神）のはなし
In recent years, the belief in the dragon serpent has been combined with the legend of the gold sand of Kinjo Reitaku, and it has also been worshipped as the deity of water and money, attracting the faith of people involved in water business and people engaged in business widely as a deity of prosperity.
The company is revered by many as Tenjin-san (deity of learning), and the White Snake Dragon Deity (also known as Hakuja-san or Mi-san), which is worshipped as a secondary shrine, is also revered by many as a deity of fire, water and disaster prevention, money luck and business prosperity. According to the origin of the sacred object, there are two white snakes, one male and one female.
According to Chinese literature, the White Fire Snake is a serpent that appears once every thousand years in the interior of the Chinese continent, and is said to "warn humans of good and bad fortune". In other words, it is said to have warned of good harvests and natural disasters. It is said that this snake was brought from China to Hinomisaki in Izumo and enshrined here.
In addition, according to the Ryujin no Jintoku Ki of the Hinomisaki Shrine in Izumo (Shimane Prefecture): 'At the Hinomisaki Shrine, a Shinto ritual of the Sairyu is performed from 11 to 17 October. During these seven days, the seaside winds blow violently, clouds rise and waves surge, and a dragon serpent with a brocade pattern appears. The shrine's personnel, who have been told by a vision that a dragon serpent is about to appear, put on their Saikai formal dress (to purify themselves and adjust their clothes), welcome the dragon serpent and perform a Shinto ritual by bringing it before the deity and playing a sacred music.
At that time, the dragon serpent naturally coils itself (coiling itself) to indicate the good and bad luck of the coming year in the form of a head and tail. The dragon-snake does not change its shape over the years, nor does it become worm-eaten or rotten. During the month of the extreme yin, the dragon and serpent stay at their estates, but they emerge from their hiding places thanks to the divine virtues of the two shrines at Hinomisaki to announce the return of the yang. （The yin spirit will be at its peak and the yang spirit will come back.)
The dragon-snake deity is therefore covered in spring blue and gold, and is represented in the shape of an oak leaf, which is the sacred crest of the Hinomisaki Shrine. The dragon serpent is celebrated as the Dragon Serpent Deity because he is the messenger of the Dragon Deity. Because he is an alter ego of the Dragon Deity, there has been no fire in the land of Hinomisaki since ancient times, and the fields are free from drought. Therefore, the lands that revere the Dragon Serpent Deity are often blessed with the blessing of rain and the extinguishing of fires.
Something similar to this Shinto record is also recorded in the Jiteiki (Kojiruien Jingibu, section on Hinomisaki Shrine). The priests would stand by the beach and watch the waves lapping at the shore, and every year, on a different day and time, a small snake would float down from the sea on the seaweed. The right serpent or the left serpent remains motionless for a day or two before it dies.
As mentioned above, there is a male and female pair of Hakujya, one of which was enshrined at Kanazawa Shrine and the other at the castle, and the one enshrined at the castle was worshipped by the wives of generations of the shrine as a deity to ward off fire and protect against fire.
Since the period of the clan's rule, when the White Snake was enshrined, 100 hanging scrolls with a copy of the snake's image were made annually and given to the clan's samurai and other important households in the castle. Even today, it is common to hear stories of these scrolls being found in the storehouses of old houses in Kanazawa.
In recent years, the belief in the dragon serpent has been combined with the legend of the gold sand of Kinjo Reitaku, and it has also been worshipped as the deity of water and money, attracting the faith of people involved in water business and people engaged in business widely as a deity of prosperity.
The first day of every month is designated as White Snake Day, when the sacred body of the snake is opened and prayers are offered for good luck and protection from bad luck. (One male snake is opened on the first day of each month and two male and two female snakes are opened on New Year's Day.)
