Susa-jinja, Shinto shrine in Chida, Arida, Japan

Susa-jinja is a Shinto shrine on the southern slope of Nakao-yama in Chida, Arida, facing south. Its honden, rebuilt in 1711 under Tokugawa Yoshimune, is a one-bay Kasuga-zukuri structure with corner rafters and a copper roof, designated an Arida City Cultural Property. The honden connects to a shukushinden and haiden, and a suzu-mon gate stands before the haiden.

According to shrine tradition cited in the Kii Zoku Fudoki, Susa-jinja was founded in 713, when the deity was transferred from Yoshino in Yamato to the summit of Mount Nakao. It was later moved to its present south-facing site on the mountainside by order of Empress Genmei, so that passing ships could no longer see it. In 927 it was listed in the Engishiki as a Myojin Taisha of Nagusa District, and in 1335 Kusunoki Masashige donated land to it. The shrine was destroyed in 1579 during Hashiba Hideyoshi's attack on Yuasa, and rebuilt after 1601 with land granted by Asano Yoshinaga.

The name Susa is thought to mean "man of Susa," from the place name rather than directly from Susanoo. The shrine's festival, Chida Matsuri on 14 October, features a lion dance with tengu and oni, a rough procession in which the portable shrine is thrown to the ground, and a rite at Takada-no-hama beach where six sea bream are tossed and fishermen scramble for them, believing the winner gets a year of good catches.

The shrine sits in a quiet, wooded area and is easy to reach from nearby towns. Visitors can explore the grounds freely at any time, but should wash their face and hands at the temizuya basin before entering the main hall.

The shrine keeps a 1721 tachi forged by the Muromachi swordsmith Kagemasa of Inshū, donated by Tokugawa Yoshimune fifty years after the death of his grandfather, Kishū lord Tokugawa Yorinori. Its blade measures 68.2 cm with a curvature of 1.8 cm, and the scabbard bears a maki-e lozenge crest. It was designated a National Treasure in 1915.