Ōasahiko Shrine, Shinto shrine in Ōasachō-Bandō, Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
Ōasahiko Shrine stands in Ōasachō-Bandō, Naruto, with a broad gabled roof of grey tiles and a projecting gable over the entrance, gold ornaments beneath the ridge, and a dark-wood porch hung with a rope of white zigzag streamers. Its large torii gate, rebuilt in 2002 from steel tubing, is 14.6 metres tall and opens onto an 800-metre pine-lined approach.
The shrine appears in the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku under 867, 878 and 883, when its rank was raised, and in the 927 Engishiki as a Myojin Taisha. It became ichinomiya of Awa Province and was supported by the Hosokawa, Miyoshi and Hachisuka clans, reaching first rank in 1719. In 1871 it was designated a National Shrine, 2nd rank, and most buildings were rebuilt in 1890.
Locals call the shrine Ōasa-san, and it serves as the general guardian of Tokushima Prefecture, formerly of both Awa and Awaji provinces. Its main festival is held on November 1. The shrine is closely tied to the Inbe clan, who are credited with introducing hemp cultivation to the region.
The shrine is about a 25-minute walk from Bandō Station on the JR Shikoku Kōtoku Line, or 20 minutes from the Ryōzenji-mae bus stop; the Naruto West highway bus stop is 8 minutes away. The 800-meter approach from the large torii is lined with stone lanterns. The summit shrine on 538-meter Ōasayama is reached by a climb of roughly 1.5 hours.
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