Sanko Shrine

Sankō Shrine is the only shrine in Japan said to enshrine deities for protection against stroke (“chūfū-yoke”): Amaterasu Ōmikami, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, and Susanoo-no-Mikoto. It was founded in the era of Emperor Hanshō (early 5th century). The shrine stands in Saikōyama Park, where Sanada Yukimura is believed to have built a fortress (the Sanadamaru) during the 1614 Winter Siege of Osaka. Behind the statue of Yukimura in the grounds, you can see the entrance to a “secret tunnel” that is said to have once continued all the way to Osaka Castle. It is very close to the stations: about a 2-minute walk from Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line Tamatsukuri Station and about a 5-minute walk from JR Osaka Loop Line Tamatsukuri Station. From JR Tamatsukuri Station, you can head to the shrine via “Yukimura Road,” lined with character panels of Yukimura and others. A subsidiary shrine, the Takenouchi no Sukune Shrine, honors Takenouchi no Sukune—famed for longevity—and is selected as Jurōjin in the “Osaka Seven Lucky Gods,” so you might also stop here while doing the Osaka Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimage. A lone surviving pillar of the torii gate that remained after World War II air raids bears the names of nine sumo wrestlers engraved on it.