Yuzuruha Shrine

Yuzuruha Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Higashinada Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. It enshrines the Kumano Sansho Daijin (the three principal deities of Kumano): Izanami-no-Mikoto, Kotosaka-no-O-no-Mikoto, and Hayatama-no-O-no-Mikoto. The shrine is said to have been founded in Kasho 2 (849). From the Heian period onward, it drew widespread devotion along with the rise of Kumano worship. The Nada area, where the shrine is located, is home to many sake breweries, and most of them are parishioners (ujiko) of Yuzuruha Shrine. The shrine is also popular for its New Year’s hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year), when about 3,000 servings of taru-zake (sake from casks) from Kiku-Masamune, Hakutsuru, and Kenbishi are prepared and offered to visitors. Access is about a 5-minute walk from Mikage Station on the Hanshin Railway, or about a 10-minute walk from Sumiyoshi Station on the JR Kobe Line. The weeping cherry tree in front of the worship hall and the cherry-lined approach are springtime highlights. A 350-year-old mukunoki (Japanese hackberry) tree—designated a natural monument of Kobe City—is said to be the largest tree in Kobe and is well worth seeing. The May Grand Festival Danjiri (float) festival is a spirited event in which danjiri parade through the neighborhood. In recent years, because the shrine’s name resembles that of figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, it has also become a “sacred site” for his fans.