Hiji Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine

Hiji Wakamiya Hachiman Jinja is a venerable shrine with over 1,000 years of Hiji's history.
It was established in the year 959, when the tutelary deity of Yatsushima Shrine was ceremoinally divided and transferred to this new location.
It was one of seven shrines revered by Otomo Bungo's ancestor, Yoshinao Otomo. He made a donation of land upon which the main building of the shrine was newly constructed in 1196.
However, after Otomo died in 1594, Hiji came under the direct control of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Hyokitsu Mori, a magistrate working under Hideyoshi, was a Christian with a violent temper who demolished the "shintai", an object of worship believed to contain the Shinto deity, and threw it into the sea.
Following this, he built a mansion inside the shrine.
The villagers secretly dredged up the "shintai" and continued to worship it by passing this object from one place to another.
After Nobutoshi Kinoshita, the first lord of Hiji Domain, arrived in 1602, the destroyed shrine was rebuilt. A great festival was held to welcome back the "shintai" and its revival as a Shinto shrine was accomplished. From that time on, successive generations of the Hiji Domain continued to revere the deity of this shrine.
In front of the main hall stands a dignified two-storied gate, called “Roumon”. This gate was constructed in 1703 with a donation from Toshinaga Kinoshita, the third lord of Hiji Domain.
　Carvings of flowers and birds are arranged along the two-storied gate and the antechamber used to receive ministers. Within the dignified atmosphere of this structure, you can catch sight of gorgeous beauty. This two-storied gate is designated as a Tangible Cultural Asset by Hiji town.
　Remaining inside the shrine grounds are torii gates and stone lanterns offered by the lords of Hiji Domain at the time. The name of the donor has been recorded on these offerings, but each one is carved with the surname of Toyotomi for both Toshiyasu, the 9th lord of Hiji Domain, as well as the 13th lord, Toshiatsu. These express feelings of loyalty to the family of Hideyoshi Toyotomi among successive generations of Hiji Domain's Kinoshita Clan.
However, the torii gate offered by Nobutoshi Kinoshita, the founder of the Hiji Domain, is inscribed with the kanji of “豊冨”　instead of his actual name, “豊臣“. This is believed to be due to the hesitation he felt towards the Tokugawa Shogunate soon after the Toyotomi Clan had been overthrown.
Among the events held at an annual festival on October 14th and 15th are a martial demonstration called “Keyari Hineri”, in which feather-covered halberds are twisted in the air, and “Kaijo Togyo”, where a portable shrine is carried on the sea.