Ae-jinja, Shinto shrine in Japan

Ae-jinja is a Shinto shrine in Harima, Hyogo Prefecture, dedicated to the Sumiyoshi deities and Empress Jingu. Its four identical wooden sanctuaries, built in 1702 in the Kasuga style with cypress-bark roofs, stand in a north-south line facing west and are connected by covered corridors. The shrine also includes the Ae-Ebisu Shrine, founded in 1965, and a small Inari shrine behind the main sanctuaries.

Ae-jinja's origins likely date to the medieval period, when Ae-no-sho existed as a manor of Sumiyoshi Taisha and the shrine stood near the center of the Ae-tsu-hama mentioned in the Sumiyoshi Taisha Jindaiki. The present main hall was built in 1702 (Genroku 2), and the shrine was later designated a prefectural cultural property. Harima town was called Ae-mura before it became a town.

Ae-jinja serves local fishermen and sailors who come to pray for protection during sea journeys. Visitors leave offerings and tie small paper charms to trees, keeping alive a tradition of honoring the ocean deities through daily acts of respect.

The shrine is easy to reach with a small parking area nearby and a short walk from the village. The best time to visit is early morning or late afternoon, when the surroundings are quiet and the light is soft.

The shrine's four main halls, all built in 1702, stand in a straight north-south line facing west, each linked by a covered corridor. This layout is rare in Japan and differs from Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka; the halls are a prefectural cultural property. A small Inari shrine sits across a path behind them.