sōja 総社

Also written 惣社. Also pronounced sōsha or subeyashiro. A shrine that contains many deities, which may have individual shrines in distant parts of Japan, thus enabling worshippers easy access to such deities without the necessity of travel. Such a shrine may also be called kanjō 勧請. According to some, this custom was originated in the Nara period by a practical-minded provincial governor. He created a consolidated shrine near the provincial capital in order to eliminate the arduous task of visiting all the shrines under his jurisdiction. There were also country and village sōja. Such shrines have various styles. Example: Sōja Honden 総社本殿 (1657) in Okayama Prefecture.