Shinozaki hachiman-jinja, Shinto shrine in Japan
Shinozaki Hachiman-jinja is a Shinto shrine in Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, listed as a former prefectural shrine (kensha). It honours Ōjin, Jingū and Chūai, together with the three Munakata goddesses and Tamayori-hime. The shrine stands on its present site since 1186, when it was moved here from the foot of Mount Takao.
Founded in 584, when Katsuragi no Kofutomaru was appointed to worship at the foot of Mount Takao, the shrine was later burned during Fujiwara no Sumitomo's rebellion. It moved to its present site in 1186 and was patronised by Ashikaga Takauji, then burned again by Otomo Sorin's troops in the Tensho era. The Hosokawa and later Ogasawara clans protected it as one of Kokura domain's great shrines; it became a village shrine in 1873 and a prefectural shrine in 1927.
The shrine honours Hachiman alongside Empress Jingū, Emperor Chūai, the three Munakata goddesses and Tamayori-hime, five deities in all. It is also called Shinozaki Hachimangū. The grounds sit close to the Kitakyushu expressway, and the shrine is counted among the leading shrines of the city, drawing worshippers from across Kokura.
The shrine is a 16-minute walk (1.3 km) from JR Kyushu's Minami-Kokura Station on the Nippo Line, and the same distance from Katano Station on the Kitakyushu monorail. Buses from Kokura Station via Sangyacho and Imamachi stop at Shinozaki-bashi, five minutes (420 m) on foot from the shrine. By car it is 400 m from the Shinozaki-kita exit of the Kitakyushu expressway.
The shrine's name appears in the 584 founding account: Katsuragi no Kofutomaru was appointed to perform the rites for Ōjin, Jingū and Chūai at the foot of Mount Takao. The grounds moved to this spot in 1186, and the present site sits beside the Kitakyushu expressway, 400 m from the Shirasawa exit.
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