Chinju-fu Hachimangu

Chinju-fu Hachimangu (Chinju-fu Hachimangu) stands in Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture, traditionally founded by the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758-811). The main enshrined deity is Emperor Ojin (Hondawake-no-Mikoto), with Empress Jingu and Himegami as co-enshrined deities, following the standard Hachiman pantheon derived from the head shrine Usa Jingu in Buzen Province. According to shrine tradition based on the Shoku Nihongi (797 CE), Tamuramaro invited the Usa Hachiman deity to the Isawa fortress in 801 CE as the protector of the Mutsu garrison (Chinju-fu), the military headquarters established by the Yamato court for the pacification of the eastern Emishi. The shrine continued as the protective Hachiman of the Mutsu garrison through the Heian period and was supported by the Oshu Fujiwara, Date, and other regional warrior houses. It was elevated to gosha rank in the Meiji era and continues as a Jinja Honcho registered shrine.