Located in the Chuo Ward of Kobe is what may be one of the oldest shrines located in Japan.
Ikuta Shrine is a Shinto shrine which was founded by the Empress Jingu at the beginning of the 3rd century AD to enshrine the kami Wakahirume.
At the time, there were three shrines established at this time, Hirota Shrine dedicated to Amaterasu and Nagata Shrine dedicated to Kotoshiro-nushi and Ikuta Shrine and historically the shrine and the area behind it (which was once a forest long before it became a city) was where the “Battle of Ichi-no-Tani” took place and where the Taira clan suffered a huge defeat by the forces of Yoshitsune and Noriyori.
With a history of more than 1800 years, I felt that it was one of the key locations I wanted to visit while I was in Kobe.
Part one will focus on entering the gates (torii) of Ikuta Shrine.
As you can see on the map, there are three areas before you reach the main Shinto Shrine of Ikuta.
The first is a wooden torii with the two guardians beside it.
Once you walk past the first torii, you then are greeted by two prayer areas. On the left, the prayer area has a torii in red (Sarutahiko no mikoto) and on the right is a torii (Ooyamakui no mikoto) concrete gray.
And up ahead is the second torii. But I’ll save what is around that area for tomorrow’s blog post!
The One about Ikuta Shrine in Kobe Part 1 – One of the Oldest Shrines in Japan/The First Torii
The One about Ikuta Shrine in Kobe Part 2 – The Second Torii
The One about Ikuta Shrine in Kobe Part 3 – One last gate before reaching Ikuta Shrine
The One about Ikuta Shrine in Kobe Part 4 – Ikuta Shrine
The One about Ikuta Shrine in Kobe Part 5 – Ikuta pond and multiple shrines
The One about Ikuta Shrine in Kobe Part 6 – Ikuta no Mori
The One about Ikuta Shrine in Kobe Part 7 (FINAL) – Ugano Mitama no Mikoto
