Sumiyoshi Taisha

Sumiyoshi Taisha

Sumiyoshi Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in Suminoe Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is the head shrine of over 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines across Japan, enshrining the deities Sokotsutsu no Onomikoto, Nakatsutsu no Onomikoto, Uwatsutsu no Onomikoto, and Empress Jingū. Its annual festival, or regular matsuri, is held on July 31. Legend has it that the shrine was founded in the year 211 as a guardian deity of maritime travel and a god of prosperous business, making it widely revered by the people of Osaka. Every year at the start of the new year, up to 3 million people visit for hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year.

The shrine’s main halls, from the First Main Shrine to the Fourth Main Shrine, preserve the oldest style of Shinto architecture known as “Sumiyoshi-zukuri,” and all have been designated as National Treasures. Together with Sumiyoshi Shrine in Shimonoseki and Sumiyoshi Shrine in Fukuoka (Hakata), they are known as the Three Great Sumiyoshi Shrines of Japan. In addition to the annual festival, the shrine also hosts major events such as the “Otaue Shinji” (Rice Planting Ceremony) in early summer. The Otaue Shinji is a folk event praying for a bountiful harvest, during which women form processions to plant rice seedlings in the fields. Traditional performing arts, including the Sumiyoshi Dance, are also presented on central stages and along the edges of the rice fields. This event offers a complete depiction of a traditional “rice planting festival” and has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.

Sumiyoshi taisha

Must-visit reason: The most popular shrine for hatsumode (New Year's first shrine visit) in Osaka

Continent where the attraction is located: Asia

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Japan

Province/State where the attraction is located: Osaka Prefecture

City where the attraction is located: Osaka City