Nōso-hachimangū, Shinto shrine in Japan
Nōso-hachimangū is a Shinto shrine in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture, formerly ranked as a prefectural shrine and now listed among the Beppyō shrines of the Jinja Honchō. It enshrines Emperor Ōjin, Emperor Chūai, Empress Jingū, Takenouchi no Sukune and the heavenly and earthly deities. The shrine honours Empress Jingū, who is said to have set up an altar in the Nōso forest on her return from the Korean campaigns.
According to shrine tradition, Empress Jingū set up an altar in the Nōso forest on her return from the Korean campaigns and bade farewell to her Kyushu followers there; their wish to see her face again, 'itsuka', is said to have given Iizuka its name. The shrine was later built on that site. A hall stood by 1359 (Enbun 4), and in 1924 it was elevated to prefectural shrine rank.
The shrine is also called Nōso-gū, and its name is tied to the legend that Empress Jingū parted from her Kyushu followers at the Nōso forest; their wish to see her face again, "itsuka", is said to have given Iizuka its name. It is revered as the guardian shrine of Iizuka and as a deity of child-rearing, and the Ningyō Kanshasai on the second Sunday of May thanks dolls.
Visitors should enter through the torii gate and bow while walking to the main hall as a sign of respect. Access to the grounds is free, and visitors experience the most activity during monthly festivals, especially on the first day of each month at Tsukinamisai or during seasonal celebrations.
The shrine's name was once written 納祖宮 (Nōso-no-miya); the present characters 曩祖 were adopted later. Empress Jingū is said to have held a farewell for her Kyushu retainers at the Nōso forest, and their wish to see her face again (itsuka) is linked by legend to the name Iizuka.
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