Chinu-jinja

Chinu Shrine (Chinu-jinja) stands in the southern Osaka area, taking its name from the ancient toponym Chinu-no-Umi, the classical name for the bay along the southern Osaka coast recorded in the Manyoshu (8th century) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE). The shrine continues an ancient maritime cult of the coastal Chinu region of Izumi Province. According to shrine tradition, the shrine was founded as a local tutelary in the medieval period to enshrine the spirit of the Chinu Sea and the deities of the local fishing communities. The shrine functions today as a parish shrine of the Izumi region, designated a village shrine in the Meiji era, and continues as a Jinja Honcho registered shrine maintained by the local community. The shrine name retains an ancient placename also preserved in the Manyoshu poetic tradition associated with the Chinu coast.