Waseda Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located in the Mishima-Yama area of Oshimojo, Anan, in southern Nagano Prefecture. Situated at an elevation of approximately 560 meters, the shrine has long been deeply revered by local residents and has served as an important spiritual center for the surrounding mountain communities.
One of the shrine’s most impressive features is a magnificent Japanese cedar more than 1,300 years old. Regarded by local people as a sacred tree inhabited by a divine presence, this enormous cedar is believed to have stood here since around the time the shrine was founded. Its towering presence quietly watches over visitors as they enter the peaceful grounds.
Waseda Shrine enshrines three principal deities: Oyamatsumi no Mikoto, Emperor Ojin, and Ukanomitama no Mikoto.
Oyamatsumi is traditionally revered as a deity of mountains and nature, Emperor Ojin is associated with military protection and prosperity, and Ukanomitama is a deity of abundant harvests and agriculture. Their worship reflects the close relationship between the people of this mountainous region and the natural environment that has supported their lives for centuries.
The foundation of Waseda Shrine is traditionally dated to 851, during the early Heian period. An entry in the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku, one of Japan’s important historical chronicles, records that the shrine was granted the rank of Shogoi-jo, or Junior Fifth Rank, in 873. This indicates that the shrine had already attained considerable religious importance by the ninth century.
The shrine’s long history is also reflected in its surviving religious artifacts and architectural records, which document the changing forms of worship in the region from medieval times through the early modern period.
During the Kamakura period, a bronze waniguchi, a traditional Buddhist temple gong, was dedicated at the shrine. It is regarded as the oldest known bronze waniguchi in Ina District and is designated as a Nagano Prefectural Treasure.
The inscription on the gong includes the date 1290 and the names of the temple and person responsible for its dedication. The inscription refers to Iwahoji Temple and Hachioji Shrine, showing that the shrine was once closely associated with a Buddhist temple.
Iwahoji served as the shrine’s jinguji, or Buddhist temple attached to a Shinto shrine. This reflects the traditional practice of Shinbutsu-shugo, the historical blending of Shinto and Buddhism that shaped Japanese religious life for many centuries.
Two traditional ridge-end plaques known as munafuda survive at the shrine and provide valuable information about reconstruction during the early Edo period.
One records the reconstruction of the Mishima Daimyojin shrine in 1616, while the other records the rebuilding of the Mishima Daimyojin and Hachiman shrine buildings in 1675. The documents also record the names of the carpenters and Shinto priests involved, providing a rare glimpse into the people responsible for maintaining the shrine.
From the Horeki era (1751–1763) onward, the place name of the shrine’s location was changed from Motogaito to Mishima-Yama. This change reflects the shrine’s close connection with Oyamatsumi, who was also worshipped locally as Mishima Daimyojin.
In 1810, the headman and Shinto priest of Waseda Village submitted a document describing the shrine’s history to the Yoshida family, an influential lineage that oversaw Shinto institutions. The shrine was subsequently officially recognized under the name Waseda Shrine.
In 1869, Kitasako Toshimasa, governor of Ina Prefecture, visited the shrine. At this time, Ukanomitama no Mikoto was newly added to the deities enshrined here.
In 1872, Waseda Shrine was designated a village shrine under the modern Shinto shrine system, further establishing its role as an important religious center for the local community.
One of the most fascinating discoveries in the shrine’s history occurred in 1934, when 11,293 ancient coins were excavated from behind the shrine.
The collection includes coins from a remarkably wide range of periods, including Wuzhu coins from the Han dynasty of China, Kaitong Yuanbao coins from the Tang dynasty, and Zhida Tongbao coins from the Yuan dynasty. The discovery suggests that people traveled to this sacred site and offered prayers and valuables over many centuries.
For visitors interested in Japanese history, the discovery provides an intriguing connection between the shrine and the wider history of East Asia.
The present main sanctuary was reconstructed in 1675. It consists of two small buildings arranged from north to south, built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, one of the characteristic architectural forms of Shinto shrines.
The worship hall is a substantial three-bay structure, while the main sanctuary stands behind it, protected within a covered structure. The buildings preserve the atmosphere of traditional shrine architecture from the Edo period.
The enormous Japanese cedar on the shrine grounds is one of Waseda Shrine’s most memorable sights. Believed to be more than 1,300 years old, the tree was designated a cultural property of Anan Town in 1977.
Known locally as a “tree where a kami resides,” the cedar is deeply respected by the community. Its immense trunk and towering branches create a solemn atmosphere, while the surrounding forest provides a sense of quiet that encourages visitors to slow down and appreciate the sacred landscape.
The shrine’s dance hall is also the setting for performances of Waseda Ningyo Shibai, a traditional puppet theater that has preserved elements of Japanese ningyo joruri, the classical puppet theater tradition combining puppets, shamisen music, and narrated drama.
Waseda Ningyo Shibai has been designated a Nationally Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Performances are traditionally held on the second Sunday of January and the fourth Sunday of August, drawing local residents as well as visitors.
One of the most distinctive traditions is the performance of Sanbaso, a ritual dance offered to the deity. It is particularly notable for the strong sense of religious devotion preserved within the performance.
During the Waseda Shrine festival on the fourth Sunday of August, mothers carrying infants enter the sacred area and pray for good health and protection from illness while flutes and drums are played.
Three puppeteers operate the puppet while wearing white kamishimo formal clothing and hakama trousers, expressing their role as servants of the deity. After the offering is completed, the performers change into black costumes and the main Sanbaso performance begins, accompanied by shamisen music and the chanting of the joruri narration.
In recent years, local junior high school students have also taken part in the performance. Their involvement is helping ensure that this distinctive cultural tradition continues into the next generation.
Another fascinating tradition takes place on the second Sunday of January. Known as a ritual for sending off the gods, it preserves elements of the folk beliefs that have developed around the shrine and its surrounding community.
Puppets are arranged before the shrine, each carrying a sacred gohei wand or yakko-gusa. After the priest recites Shinto prayers, the figures form a procession and leave the shrine.
The procession includes musicians playing flutes, drums, and bells, as well as men carrying traditional matchlock guns, local residents, and representatives of the shrine parishioners. They travel along a mountain path to a designated place for the ritual.
There, a sacred object representing the deity is removed from the portable shrine and sent away. A single gunshot is fired into the air, after which the participants return without looking back.
This unusual custom is understood as a New Year’s prayer to cut off misfortune and leave the troubles of the previous year behind. For visitors, it offers a rare opportunity to encounter a living folk tradition that has remained closely connected to the local community.
Waseda Shrine is located at 2080 Mishima-Yama, Nishijo, Anan, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture.
The nearest railway station is Onada Station on the JR Iida Line. From the station, the shrine is approximately 4.2 kilometers to the southwest, or about a one-hour walk. Located deep in the green mountain landscape of Anan, the shrine is well suited to travelers looking for a peaceful place away from the major tourist centers.
Waseda Shrine is more than a historic religious site. It is a place where more than a thousand years of faith, traditional performing arts, sacred trees, and community customs continue to coexist.
The immense cedar evokes the passage of centuries, while the Waseda Puppet Theater preserves the prayers and artistic traditions of generations of local people. The ancient bronze gong, historical reconstruction records, and remarkable collection of coins further reveal the depth of the shrine’s history.
For travelers exploring southern Nagano, Waseda Shrine offers an opportunity to encounter a quieter and deeply rooted side of Japanese culture. Beneath the branches of its ancient cedar, visitors can experience a landscape where nature, spirituality, history, and traditional community life have remained intertwined for more than a thousand years.