Sarutahiko Shrine (Ise)

Sarutahiko Shrine, located in Ujiurada, Ise City, Mie Prefecture, stands northwest of and adjacent to the inner shrine of Ise Jingu. The principal deity is Sarutahiko-no-Okami, with the attendant deity Ota-no-Mikoto, said to be his descendant. The upper book of the Kojiki, in the chapter of the heavenly descent, records Sarutahiko-no-Okami as the kunitsu-kami who stood at the eight crossroads of heaven to guide Ninigi-no-Mikoto on his descent. The shrine ranks among the central sites of Sarutahiko devotion alongside Tsubaki Okami Yashiro in Suzuka, Mie. An octagonal stone pillar at the center of the precincts symbolizes the eight directions. According to tradition the Ujitsuchigimi family, descendants of Ota-no-Mikoto, have served as priests for generations. The Ujitsuchigimi family also served hereditarily as the tamagushi ounudo officers of the inner shrine of Ise Jingu, and the shrine originated as the family deity of this lineage. In the Meiji era it was a mukakusha; it was registered as an independent shrine in 1948 and elevated to Bekkaku Hyo shrine in 1956. The April Omita Festival, an intangible folk cultural property of Mie Prefecture, preserves traditional rice-planting rites.