Awa Shrine


The Awa Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the city of Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is one of two shrines claiming to hold the title of ichinomiya of former Awa Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on August 10.

Enshrined ''kami''

The primary kami of Awa Jinja is the Ame-no-Futodama-no-mikoto.
Secondary enshrined kami include:
There are also numerous small subsidiary shrines to various kami within the shrine grounds.

History

The date of Awa Shrine’s foundation is unknown. Shrine tradition and the Kogo Shūi records of 807 AD gives the founder as a member of the Inbe clan, during the reign of the legendary Emperor Jimmu. The shrine is mentioned several times in the early Heian period Rikkokushi and it is mentioned again in the Engishiki records.
It has been styled as the ichinomiya of Awa Province since at least the end of the Heian period, and enjoyed the patronage of the Satomi clan, and subsequently the Tokugawa shogunate until the end of the Edo period.
After the Meiji Restoration, it was granted the rank of Kanpei Taisha under State Shinto in 1875. The present Honden dates from 1881.
During archaeological investigations in 1931, numerous Jōmon and Kofun period artifacts were recovered, including a number of bronze mirrors, clay vessels and the skeletons of 22 people.