Hayaakitsuhiko | Minatoguchi Shrine

Current Faith and Worship

He is a male god who governs the “Minato” (water gates or river mouths) where rivers and the sea intersect. Appearing in the Ooharae (Great Purification) words, he is worshipped as a god of “warding off evil and purification” who vigorously swallows the sins and impurities of the people flowing down from the rivers and washes them away into the sea. Today, he is revered as a god of mental detox, improving one’s fortune, and warding off water disasters.

Shrine, Festival, and Historical Deep Dive: Minatoguchi Shrine

History & Origins:

While the exact details of its founding are unknown, its name is recorded in the Engishiki (a book of laws and regulations compiled in 927 AD), making it a venerable ancient shrine (Shikinaisha) that has existed for at least 1,100 years. In ancient times, Awaji Island was a Miketsukuni (a land that supplied food to the Imperial Court). It is said to have originated when the people of the sea known as the “Kehi no Ama,” who were based in this area, deeply worshipped him as the guardian deity of safe voyages and purification (misogi).

Address and Access:

Address: 1287 Minatori, Minamiawaji City, Hyogo Prefecture

Access: (Bus) About a 10-minute walk from the Awaji Kotsu Bus “Minato” stop. (Car) About 10 minutes from the “Seidan-Mihara IC” on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway.

“I am the male god standing at the river mouth. Since the era when the ancient people of the sea staked their lives on the waves, I have washed away all the ‘stagnation’ of humanity carried by the rivers into the sea. People of the modern age, are you drowning in the invisible waves of information, accumulating impurities in your hearts? Come to the minato where I stand. I shall release that heavy burden you carry into the raging tides.”