IZANAGI SHRINE · YAMADA-HIGASHI, SUITA
An ancient shrine tucked into a wooded corner of a residential district, listed in the 10th-century Engishiki, with a prefecturally protected sanctuary and a drum-float autumn festival.
AI-generated motion added to photos from 2008 and 2013
Izanagi Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Yamada-higashi, Suita, Osaka, about 1.5 km south-west of the Tower of the Sun. Listed in the Engishiki of 927, its late-17th-century main sanctuary is an Osaka Prefectural Cultural Property. It is known for the taiko mikoshi autumn festival in October. Take a Hankyu Bus from Yamada Station to Yamada Miya-no-mae; entry is free.
01 — HIGHLIGHTS
The haiden (worship hall) stands at the end of the approach, with the honden (main sanctuary) behind it. The honden is a five-bay nagare-zukuri building thought, from its style, to date from the late 17th century, noted for its wood carving. It was designated an Osaka Prefectural Tangible Cultural Property in 2011. Visitors pray from the haiden.
The principal deity is Izanami-no-Mikoto, the female creator deity of Japanese myth — not Izanagi, despite the shrine’s name. Locals have also called it Hime-miya (“princess shrine”) and Gosha-miya (“five-deity shrine”); four further deities share the sanctuary.
Scattered around the grounds are an Inari shrine with red torii, a Benzaiten shrine, and shrines to Tenjin, Hachioji and Hachiman. Wandering between them is part of the visit.
From late November to early December, maples over the shrine roofs and ginkgo trees along the approach turn red and gold — the same weeks as the Japanese Garden in Expo ’70 Park, so the two combine well.
According to the shrine, the komainu at the entrance were made in the style of roof ornaments from Jinzhou Castle in Dalian, China. Compare them with the usual Japanese style.
The stone pillar at the entrance was erected in the Edo period as part of an effort to identify ancient shrines. Together with the marker at the Saidera shrine, it is a Suita City Tangible Cultural Property (2009).
02 — HISTORY
The shrine’s past is told through both traditions and documents. We keep the two separate.
The shrine’s own account links its origin to Emperor Yūryaku and to Ise. This is a tradition, not contemporary evidence of a founding date.
A gazetteer records a tradition that the shrine moved from Ogawadani to Takaniwayama, near the present site. Not an established date.
The court chronicle records a promotion in rank for the deity Izanagi — evidence that the shrine was part of the ancient state system of worship.
The Engishiki lists “Izanagi Shrine, two seats” in Shimashimo District, Settsu Province. This does not mean today’s buildings date from then.
The present honden is dated to about this time on the evidence of its architectural style.
Stone markers were erected at both the Yamada and Saidera shrines during Edo-period efforts to locate ancient shrines.
The stone markers became Suita City Cultural Properties (Feb 2009); the honden became an Osaka Prefectural Cultural Property (Jan 2011).
The entrance torii was damaged in the 2018 northern Osaka earthquake and replaced in 2019, so older photos do not show today’s gate.
Suita has a second Izanagi Shrine in the Saidera district. The Yamada-higashi shrine enshrines Izanami; the Saidera shrine enshrines Izanagi and is also called Oku-miya (“inner shrine”). The two are discussed in connection with the Engishiki’s “two seats”, though matching those ancient seats to today’s two precincts calls for caution. They are about 1.7 km apart as the crow flies.
03 — FESTIVALS
The biggest event is the autumn festival’s taiko mikoshi: a large drum carrying young riders is paraded through the town, and in the grounds it is swung against the sacred tree in a rite called ki-atari (according to the shrine; a Suita City Intangible Cultural Property). Records are too thin to say when it began.
| Monthly rite | 毎月1日 |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day rite | 1月1日 |
| Ebisu festival | 1月9日〜11日 |
| Spring festival | 5月10日 |
| Autumn festival · taiko mikoshi parade | 10月・スポーツの日の前日 → 2027/10/10 |
| Shichi-go-san (children’s blessing) | 11月 |
| Year-end purification | 12月31日 |
Date rules are from the shrine’s official annual-events page. Check the year’s notice for exact dates, start times and the parade route.
04 — HOW TO VISIT
The torii gate marks the sacred area. Give a small bow before passing through, and walk to one side of the path rather than down the middle.
If there is a temizuya, rinse your left hand, then right, rinse your mouth with water poured into your left hand, then rinse the ladle handle.
Drop a coin in the offering box, ring the bell if there is one, bow deeply twice, clap twice, make your wish, then bow once more.
Photography in the grounds is generally fine; avoid shooting inside the halls or during ceremonies. The shrine sits in a residential area, so keep voices low.
05 — ACCESS
| Address | 2-3-1 Yamada-higashi, Suita, Osaka 565-0821 |
|---|---|
| Train + bus | From Yamada or Minami-Senri (Hankyu Senri Line), Yamada (Osaka Monorail), or Momoyamadai / Senri-Chuo (Kita-Osaka Kyuko): Hankyu Bus bound for Suita, Kishibe or JR Ibaraki to “Yamada Miya-no-mae” or “Shin-Ogawa”, right by the stop |
| Taxi | About 10 minutes from those stations (official site) |
| Car | Around New Year the area is very congested; public transport is recommended. Check the official site for parking |
| Phone | 06-6877-5921 (9:00–16:30, Japanese) |
The official site does not give walking times from the stations; use the 3D map to check the route.
06 — PHOTOS
Reference photos taken 2006–2013 (Wikimedia Commons). The entrance torii was rebuilt in 2019, so the gate looks different today.
FAQ
The principal deity is Izanami-no-Mikoto, the female creator deity of Japanese myth — not Izanagi, despite the shrine’s name. Four other deities share the sanctuary, and the shrine is traditionally visited for marriage, safe childbirth and protection from misfortune.
Take the Hankyu Senri Line to Yamada or Minami-Senri, or the Osaka Monorail to Yamada, then a Hankyu Bus bound for Suita, Kishibe or JR Ibaraki to “Yamada Miya-no-mae” or “Shin-Ogawa”; the shrine is right by the stop. A taxi from those stations takes about 10 minutes. From central Osaka (Umeda) allow about an hour in total.
The grounds are free to enter and are not gated for visitors. The shrine’s phone desk is open 9:00–16:30 (Japanese). Check the official site for the office hours if you want a goshuin stamp or amulet.
The shrine’s calendar sets the autumn festival on the day before Sports Day in October (a Sunday). A large drum carrying young riders is paraded through the town and swung against the sacred tree in the grounds. Confirm times and the route in the year’s notice.
A second Izanagi Shrine stands in the Saidera district and enshrines Izanagi, while the Yamada shrine enshrines Izanami. The two are often explained together as the “two seats” listed in the Engishiki, though scholars caution against mapping the ancient record directly onto today’s two sites.
Tradition links its foundation to the 5th-century Emperor Yūryaku, but that is a legend. The firm records are a court chronicle entry of 859 and the Engishiki register of 927. The present sanctuary building is thought, from its style, to date from the late 17th century.
Yes. The shrine lies about 1.5 km south-west of the Tower of the Sun. Its maples and ginkgo turn colour in late November to early December, the same weeks as the park’s Japanese Garden.
Checked 22 Oct 2026. The foundation date and the 852 relocation are traditions; the honden date is an estimate from its architectural style. Text written independently from the shrine’s official site, Suita City, the city museum and a published gazetteer.
Checked: 2026-10-22
