Kusatsu Hachiman Shrine

Kusatsu Hachiman Shrine, located in Takata, Nishi Ward, Hiroshima City, is the chief tutelary shrine of the Kusatsu fishing district along the Hiroshima Bay coast. It stands on a hillside on the western side of the Ota River delta, with views over the bay toward Miyajima. The principal deity is Hondawake-no-Mikoto (Ojin Tenno), with the three Munakata goddesses, Tagirihime, Tagitsuhime, and Ichikishimahime, enshrined in attendance. The three Munakata goddesses are recorded in the ukei episode of the upper book of the Kojiki as having been born from the oath exchanged by Amaterasu and Susanoo, a configuration that links this shrine with nearby Itsukushima Shrine. The shrine belongs to the Hachiman lineage radiating from Usa Jingu in Buzen Province. Tradition dates its founding to the reign of Suiko Tenno, though documented evidence appears only from the medieval period. It was patronized by the Takeda, then the Asano lords of the Hiroshima domain. It received the village shrine rank in the Meiji era. The annual festival is held in October.