Kitaoka Shrine

Kitaoka Shrine, located in Kasuga, Nishi Ward, Kumamoto City, is the chief Gion shrine of the former Higo Province. The principal deities are Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Kushinadahime-no-Mikoto, and the Yahashira-no-Mikogami (the eight royal children). This configuration reflects the marriage of Susanoo and Kushinadahime recorded in the Yamata-no-Orochi episode of the upper book of the Kojiki, and belongs to the Gion lineage radiating from Yasaka Shrine (formerly Gion-sha) in Kyoto. According to tradition, the shrine was established in 934 when Fujiwara no Yasumasa, governor of Higo, invited the deity from Kyoto. It was patronized by the Otomo, Shimazu, Kato, and finally the Hosokawa lords of the Kumamoto domain. The July festival preserves mikoshi and yamahoko processions, and the rite of passing through the chinowa is also kept.