The Flight Shrine "Hikô jinja " Yahata city, Kyoto Prefecture  In the entrance of the shrine, a Jumbo airplane engine is exhibited.  The god "Nigihayahi-no-mikoto" who descended from Heaven to Earth on board the Heavenly Air Ship of Rocks "Ama no Iwabune"  Chuhachi Ninomiya ( 1866 - 1936 ) |
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  The Reverence Hall "Haiden" of the Hikô Shrine ( The Flight Shrine ) is made of duraluminium and is of the Greek Shrine style.  The Altar Hall "Honden" of the Shrine is of the traditional Japanese Shinto style. In the center, the soul of flight god, Nigihayahi-no-mikoto is enshrined, at the left hand, the gods of medicine, and the god of Konpira of navigation, at the right hand, the souls of those dead in air accidents, and of the pioneers who contributed to the developments of aeronautical sciences and the air-line industries. Chûhachi Ninomiya ( The official web.site of Yawatahama city, Ehime Prefecture )  The head of an engine of the "Zero" fighter with its propeller salvaged at the sea off the shore of Kishiwada city, Osaka Prefecture. In the first stages of the World War II, it played an important role with its splendid maneuverability which was eclipsed later by the American B-29. |
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 A crow drawn by Ninimiya Chuhachi  The crow type aeroplane inveted by Chûhachi Ninomiya |
 A flying fish drawn by Ninomiya Chûhachi during his vacations in his home town, Yawatahama. |
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The flight Shrine was built by Chûhachi Ninomiya in 1919 for the
people
died in air accidents and for those who contributed to the development of aeronautical sciences and air line industries. It was re-built in 1989 by Kenjirô Ninomiya, son of Chuhachi. The main gold enshrined is the god Nigihayahi-no-mikoto. According to the Chronicle "Kojiki", this god descended from Heaven to Earth on board the Heavenly Space Ship of Rocks "Ama no Iwabune" to help Kamu-yamato-iwarehiko-no-mikoto in his Advance towards the East to unify Japan. Kamu-yamato-iwarehiko-no-mikoto was crowned in 660 before C.E., and founded the Japanese nation with the Imperial Palace in Kashihara. Kamu-yamato-iwarehiko-no-mikoto landed on the Naniwazu Beach ( Osaka ) but he could not pass the Ikoma Mountains to enter the Pfrovince of Yamato. The troop of Nagasune-hiko held back the forces of Kamu-yamato-iwarehiko-no-mikotom who retreated and went over to the shore of Kii Peninsula. Nagasune-hiko doubted that Kamu-yamato-iwarehiko-no-mikoto was really the hereditary son of the Sun believing the god Nigihayahi-no-mikoto whom he served, to be the real Heavenly Descendant. In the cruel battle, many warriors of Kamu-yamato-iwarehiko-no-mikoto fell dead and itsuse-no-mikoto, his elder brother, also died. In his death bed, he said : " We are descendants of the Sun but we fought facing against the Sun. We should have fought with the Sun behide our shoulders. Kamu-yamato-iwarehiko-no-mikoto could not enter the Yamato Province crossing over the Ikoma Mountains and was held back. He retreated and went over to the shore of the Kii Peninsula and landed there again and marched through Kumano. When he was entering Kashihara, Nigihayahi-no-mikoto appeared and said : I heard that you had descended to Earth and I also I have come down from Heaven to serve you. He handed the heavenly treasures to Kamu-yamato-iware-hiko-no-mikoto as signs of his heavenly descent, to show him that he was also ordered to go down to Earth by the Goddess of Sun, Amaterasu Ômi-no-kami. Nigihayahi-no-mikoto married with Tomiyasu-bime, sister of Nagasune -hiko no mikoto and they had a son, .Umashimaji-no-mikoto, who is the ancestor of the clans of Mononobe-no-muraji, Hozumi-no-omi y Uneme-no-omi. Nigihayahi-no-mikoto is described more in details in the Chronicle " Sendai Kyûji Hongi - the Authentic Chronicle of the old things of the former generations". Nigihayahi-no-mikoto descended from Heaven to Earth with 10 Heavenly Treasures handed to him by the Sun Goodess, Amaterasu Ômi-no-kami on board the Heavenly Rock Air Ship "Ama no iwabune" to Mount Takeru-ga-mine in Kawakami, Kawachi and he flew to Mount Hakutei-zan in Torimi, Yamato, and there he married with Mikashikiya-hime, sister of a local Warlord and his retainer, Nagasune-hiko and explored Yamato and Kawachi regionsw. Legend tells us that Nigihayahi-no-mikoto descended to the place where Iwafune Jinja Shrine is situated now. The largest rock founnd there is 12 meters high and 12 meters wide. There are other huge rocks which shape a mysterious underground labyrinth of narrow passages. If you are not too fat, and the water of Amano-gawa river ( Heavenly River ) is low, you can go thfrough the labyrinth.. At the ourskirts of Mount Ikoma, in Higashi-Osaka city, Osaka prefecture, Ishikiri Tsurugi Jinja Shrine is situaded. It is called more popularly " Ishikiri jinja " or " Ishikiri san". Nigihayagi-no-mikoto and his son are enshrined there. People believe that the gods there will cure cancers, ulcers and any kinds of eruptions. |
 Tamamushi Gem Beetle |
 Gem Beetle gtype aeroplane |
| Ninomiya Chûhachi was born into a wealthy family in 1866, in Yawatahama,
Ehime Prefecture, two years before the collapse of the Tokugawa feudal regime. His father owned seafood product business. About 4 generations back, his ancestors were samurai. One day, while one of of his ancestors was fishing for "AYU" fishes, his house burnt down. His master had deposited with him the standard of his domain. He was dismissed by his indignant master because the flag deposited in his house burned and he became a masterless samurai "ronin". He died leaving a will saying that his descendants should never eat fish "Ayu". When he was only 12 years old, his father died. In 1880, he worked in a grocery shop and then in a printing company in Yawatahawa city. In 1880, he worked in his uncle's pharmacy and learned about the basics of pharmacy. When he was 15 years old, he learned japanese and chinese classics and "Nanga" painting. He made a dozen kinds of kites and sold them to pay for his studies. They sold very well. From his infancy, he was interested in birds and flying insects. He thought that humans could fly. . In 1889, when he was 21 years old, he entered the 12th regiment of the First Battalion of Marugame Infantry in Kagawa Prefecture as a military nurse. In 1889, he took a rest to eat lunch on his way back to the military quarters after marching training. He saw crows flying and understood the basic theory of how birds fly. He also studied every Sunday how gem beetles and dragonflies fly. When he was back in Yawatahama on holidays, he closely watched how flying fish fly. In 1891, twelve years prior to the Wrightbrother's first manned flight, Ninomiya Chûhachi created a monooplane that was powered by rubber bands and flew it at the Marugame Military Camp. It was named the crow type aeroplane. It flew about ten meters after taxing down 20 meters on three wheels.It was well-designed and had a three-wheel setup much like a modern day Cessna, something that the Wright bother's craft design lacked,although Wright brothers had been bicycle dealers. He had learned from watching crows that gliding on land on wheels is necessary to take off. In 1893, he succeeded in creating an aircraft that could accommodate a single person. It was called Tamamushi-type aeroplane( Gem beetle type aeropalne). Though it was better designed than his previous craft, it did not have an onboard motor. He had not enough fund to buy a good engine nor to do reserach in developing a good engine. He was promoted to the rank of the military pharmacist of the first class and was moved to the military hospital of Matsuyama, in Ehime prefecture. In 1894, the first Sino-Japanese War broke out. He was dispatched to Seoul, Korea. He submmited there a petition with the attached plan to Colonel Nagaoka Gaishi to complete his aeroplanes in order to carry out recconnaissance missions. He had hoped that the coronel would 've passed it on to General Oshima, but the coronel desclined his petition. ILater, he had the oppotunities to speak to general Ôshima and general Yamaguchi about his aeroplanes. But, they did not pay due attention to his proposal. He was dissappointed and decided to make aeroplanes on his own. He left the military services and in 1898 entered Dai-Nippon Farmaceutical Co.,Ltd. as a simple worker. He was promoted to become director. He founded his own company. His business was successful and finally he had 10,000 yen saved,enough to buy a motor or to do research in developing motors suitable for aeroplanes. In 1901, he moved to Yahata from Osaka and bought a rice mill When he was trying on the motor of the rice milling machine for aeroplanes, one news in a newpaper surprised him and we was deeply grieved. Wright brothers realized the first manned flight of an aeroplane successfully, althogh it remained in air only twelve seconds. He gave up his life long ambition to make an aeroplane. He wanted to be the first in making a manned aeroplane and thought that he would be deemed as a copycat, even if he made a better manned aeroplane. In 1915, he erected Fiight Shrine for the repose of victims of airplane accidents around the world. His past achievements were brought to light in 1919. He received many awards. |
