Nagata Shrine

Nagata Shrine is a historic shrine in Nagata Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, revered as a guardian deity of commerce, industry, and business. It enshrines Kotoshironushi-no-Okami. According to shrine tradition, it was founded in the first year of Empress Jingu’s regency (201 CE). Along with Ikuta Shrine and Minatogawa Shrine, it is counted among Kobe’s representative shrines and is affectionately known by locals as “Nagata-san.” Access is about a 5-minute walk from Hanshin Railway Kosoku Nagata Station and also about a 5-minute walk from Nagata Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway. Nagata Shrine is also known for the “Tsuina-shiki Shinji” ritual, said to date back to the Muromachi period. After days of purification—culminating in a dawn cleansing at Suma Beach—seven designated “oni” (demon-role) participants lead the ceremony to drive away misfortune and pray for peace throughout the year. It is designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Hyogo Prefecture. Another highlight is the sacred camphor tree behind the subsidiary Kusunomiya Inari Shrine, estimated to be about 800 years old. It is believed to be especially efficacious for healing illnesses (particularly hemorrhoids). The shrine is also famous for events such as the Nagata Festival and the Kobe Takigi Noh performances.