Watatsu Shrine, Shinto shrine in Hamochiiioka, Sado, Japan

Watatsu Shrine stands in the Hamochiiioka neighborhood of Sado, Niigata, and enshrines Isonotakeru no mikoto with his sisters Oyahitsuhime no mikoto and Tsumatsuhime no mikoto. An orange-red torii with a dark curved lintel and a central plaque marks the approach. The worship hall is a wooden building under a gray-green tiled roof, its three bays hung with a deep purple curtain bearing two white round crests above a row of small white plaques and a five-step stone stair.

The shrine appears in the Engishiki register of 927 as a minor shrine of Sado Province. A flood in 1470 destroyed it, and the Honma clan rebuilt it in 1472. Further floods struck in 1493, 1533 and 1593, and in 1493 it was merged with a nearby Hachiman shrine. In 1816 a dispute with Ichinomiya Shrine ended in Watatsu's favour, after which it was called Sado's ichinomiya.

The shrine holds the status of Ichinomiya, meaning it is the foremost shrine in the region and holds special significance for the local community. Visitors come to pray for safe travels, particularly those who work at sea or embark on journeys.

The shrine is about a 15-minute drive from Ogi Port, the main gateway to the island, making it easily accessible. The approach crosses a small stream and passes through tall trees, offering a calm walk to the main buildings.

The shrine's name may predate its enshrined kami: the old word wata meant "sea", suggesting Watatsu Jinja was originally a shrine to a sea deity of navigation and fishing, and some theories hold it once stood nearer the coast. The enshrined Isonotakeru no mikoto is also called Oyahiko no kami.