Hachiman Asami Shrine

Hachiman Asami Shrine in Beppu, Oita, stands on a rise above Beppu Bay overlooking the hot-spring district. Shrine tradition holds that it was founded in 1196 by Otomo Yoshinao (1172-1223), appointed shugo of Bungo by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who brought the deity from Usa Jingu. The main deities are the Hachiman triad of Homutawake no Mikoto (Emperor Ojin), Okinaga Tarashi-hime no Mikoto (Empress Jingu) and Hime-gami; the ancestral deity of Otomo Yoshinao is enshrined alongside, giving the shrine the character of a tutelary of the Otomo clan in the medieval period. After the fall of the Otomo in 1587, devotion continued, and in the Edo period it became the tutelary of the Beppu hot-spring community. It was registered as a prefectural shrine in 1885. The October 14-15 reisai with its mikoshi procession is the season's defining festival.