Suwa Shrine, Shinto shrine in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

Suwa Shrine stands on the north slope of Mount Bizan in Tokushima. A broad flight of grey stone steps rises between weathered stone structures to a grey stone torii with two cylindrical pillars, a curved lintel and a straight lower beam, a dark plaque at its centre. Two stone lion-dog statues on pedestals flank the upper stairs, and colourful paper strips hang in an arc beneath the gate.

The shrine traces its founding to 1585, when Hosokawa Iemasa built Tokushima Castle on Toyotomi Hideyoshi's orders and installed a Suwa deity as guardian of the castle's northeast corner; the 1815 chronicle Awa-shi records that a Suwa Myōjin shrine was moved here from the castle hill's northeast foot. As first of the "Itsu Five Shrines", it received the Hachisuka clan's patronage throughout the Edo period, with repairs paid from domain funds and shrine land donated in the Keian years. It was ranked a village shrine in May 1870.

Locals call the shrine 'Sako no Suwa-san', after the Sako district at the foot of Mount Bizan. It was the foremost of the 'Itsu Five Shrines' and received deep reverence from the Hachisuka clan throughout the Edo period. In autumn festivals, the clan customarily dedicated horses to the shrine.

Access is via stairs from the base of the hill, and pathways within the grounds are well maintained. Visitors should expect a brief climb and the best time to visit is spring when cherry blossoms and azaleas are in bloom.

The shrine's grounds cover 2,000 square metres and hold about 100 azaleas, planted when the bushes were 10 to 15 years old, so the oldest are now roughly 40 to 50 years old, not a century. The stone lion-dogs flanking the top of the stairs are a pair, one on each side.