Matsubase-jinja, Shinto shrine in Japan

Matsubase-jinja is a Shinto shrine in Matsubase, Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, also called Matsubase Kumano-gu or Matsubase Gongen-sha. It enshrines Izanami-no-Mikoto, Kotosaka-no-Mikoto and Hayatama-no-Mikoto. Within the grounds are small stone shrines to Ebisu, Tenjin and Suijin.

The shrine has served local families for many generations as a place for prayers and thanksgiving, with its roots deep in the community. When Matsubase merged with other towns to form Uki in 2005, the shrine remained an important symbol of the region's continuing connection to its past.

The shrine's name also appears as Matsubase Kumano-gu and Matsubase Gongen-sha, pointing to its Kumano deities: Izanami-no-Mikoto, Koto-sakao-no-Mikoto and Hayatamao-no-Mikoto. Within the grounds stand small stone shrines to Ebisu, Tenjin (Sugawara no Michizane) and the water deity Mizuhanome. The summer festival is held on 1 August and the main annual rite on 9 October.

The shrine is freely accessible during daylight hours and easy to find, with no entrance fees, making visits brief but meaningful. The grounds are well-maintained with clean paths and adequate space to explore the surroundings at a leisurely pace.

The shrine has two founding accounts. One dates its establishment to 1049, when regent Fujiwara no Michitaka obtained an imperial decree to invite the deity. The other, from the Shimoda family of priests, tells of ancestor Shimoda Iyo-no-kami Korekatsu receiving a dream oracle to invite Kumano Gongen; when residents ignored it, the area fell into constant darkness until they founded the shrine. The second account has no date.