Hinomine-jinja, Shinto shrine on Mount Hinomine in Komatsushima, Japan

Hinomine-jinja is a small Shinto shrine in Komatsushima where visitors walk along a path lined with stones and trees leading to the main building. The grounds are simple yet well-kept, featuring wooden plaques with wishes near the main hall and quiet surroundings with hills and vegetation.

According to shrine tradition, the shrine was founded in 750, when the Awa governor Toyono no Mahito Shinohara performed a fire ritual on Mount Hinomine to end an epidemic. In 1586 Hachisuka Iemasa stayed at Hinomine Castle and, deeming the mountain sacred, chose the site of Tokushima Castle instead and banned tree felling there. In 1872 it was renamed Hinomine Shrine and ranked as a village shrine.

The name Hinomine-jinja connects this place to the local history of the region. The shrine welcomes visitors to observe daily community life, where locals pass through to pray, light incense, or leave small offerings as signs of respect and connection to their traditions.

The shrine is easy to reach by car, and many visitors stop here to enjoy the views and surroundings. It is common for visitors to ring a bell and bow before making a small coin offering or taking a moment for personal reflection.

The shrine is connected to a local legend in which farmers during the Edo period prayed here to protect their rice fields from crabs. Many visitors today write their wishes on wooden plaques featuring crab drawings and pray for protection and good harvests.