Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture. It is listed in the Engishiki, an ancient record of shrines, and is renowned as the ichinomiya, or highest-ranking shrine, of the former Hida Province. It was formerly classified as a National Government Shrine of the Lesser Rank and is now designated as a shrine listed in the special register of the Association of Shinto Shrines.
The shrine is situated south of central Takayama in northern Gifu Prefecture. It reveres Mount Kurai, which rises to 1,529 meters southwest of the shrine, as its sacred mountain.
For centuries, the shrine has been revered by the Hida provincial governors as a guardian deity and ancestral deity of the region. The grounds also house a sacred horse eating rice, said to have been crafted by the celebrated sculptor Hidari Jingoro, which remains familiar to local residents.
The shrine enshrines 15 deities collectively known as Minashi-no-Ōkami.
Mitose-no-Ōkami: Also known as Minashi-no-Kami, this deity is the principal deity of the shrine.
The 14 associated deities are Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto, Mihotsuhime-no-Mikoto, Emperor Ōjin, Takayorihime-no-Mikoto, Emperor Jimmu, Sunuma-hi-no-Mikoto, Ame-no-Ho-akari-no-Mikoto, Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto, Takateruhime-no-Mikoto, Ame-no-Kumahito-no-Mikoto, Amaterasu-Ōmikami, Toyoukehime-no-Ōkami, Ōtoshi-no-Kami, and Ōhachihashi-no-Mikoto.
The name Minashi-no-Ōkami is thought to have originated from a local place name. While one interpretation identifies the deity as Mitose-no-Ōkami, other theories associate the name with Hachiman, a widely worshipped Shinto deity.
The exact date of the shrine’s founding is unknown. However, historical records from the reign of Emperor Seiwa indicate that it had been granted the court rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. The Engishiki, a compilation of laws and regulations completed in the early 10th century, classified it as a minor shrine and recognized it as the ichinomiya of Hida Province.
During the Kamakura period, the shrine was known as Minashi Daibosatsu, and Buddhist priests served there. Religious ceremonies were interrupted during the conflicts of the Sengoku period, after which nearby temples took responsibility for managing the shrine.
In 1773, during the An’ei Uprising, also known as the Ōhara Uprising, Minashi Shrine became a gathering place for peasants preparing to rise up. Two Shinto priests who participated in the uprising, Yamashita Izumi-no-kami and Mori Ise-no-kami, were crucified as punishment.
After these events, Kajiwara Iekuma was invited from Imai in Shinano Province. He reorganized the shrine according to Yuiitsu Shinto, a form of Shinto that sought to separate its practices from Buddhism.
In 1871, the shrine was officially designated a National Government Shrine of the Lesser Rank. After World War II, it became a shrine listed in the special register of the Association of Shinto Shrines.
The shrine is home to several important cultural properties, including a wooden statue of the deity associated with Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine, designated an Important Cultural Property by Gifu Prefecture in the sculpture category; a large Japanese cedar designated as a prefectural Natural Monument; ritual performing arts designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the prefecture; and the shrine’s votive-picture hall, designated as a cultural property building by Takayama City.
January 1: Saitansai, the New Year’s Day festival.
February 2: Setsubun Festival, held around the traditional seasonal transition.
April 3: Hida Ikibina Festival, featuring living dolls, and the Sericulture Festival.
May 1 and 2: The main annual festival. The first day is the preliminary festival, and the second day is the principal festival.
June 30: Ōharae, a purification ritual.
July: Festival at the inner sanctuary on the sacred mountain.
In 1932, the shrine received permission to brew doburoku, an unfiltered sake, for use during its annual festival.
In 1945, the sacred object of Atsuta Shrine—the legendary sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, also known as Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi—was temporarily evacuated to Minashi Shrine for safekeeping.
In 1952, the Hida Ikibina Festival began to pray for the prosperity of sericulture and agriculture. The festival has continued as part of the shrine’s efforts to preserve local traditions and pray for the region’s well-being.
With its long history, sacred mountain, traditional festivals, and valuable cultural properties, Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine remains an important spiritual and cultural landmark in the Hida region.