Nagoya Shrine Visit Report 2025 Mizuho No.3 Higashi Hachiman Shrine

1) Deity and Origins (Kyoho Era, 1716–1736)

The enshrined deity is Hachiman (traditionally identified with Emperor Ojin). Local records and tradition place the founding in the mid-Edo period, around the Kyoho era (1716–1736).

2) The Three Hachiman Shrines of Nakane

Higashi, Nishi, and Hōjō Hachiman form a protective triangle around the site of Nakane Minami Castle, reflecting a longstanding pattern of Hachiman worship as a guardian of warriors and communities. Their proximity—all within a few hundred meters—and shared lineage illustrate a coordinated shrine network.

Largest precinct: Based on on-site observation, Higashi Hachiman has the most expansive grounds of the three, with a long approach and ample forecourt.

3) Castle-Guardian Tradition (Sengoku 1467–1600 → Edo 1603–1868)

4) Field Notes — Gate Guardians and a Bronze Sacred Horse

Approaching the torii, giant komainu (guardian lion-dogs) stand on both flanks, embodying a powerful protective presence. Deeper in the grounds, a bronze sacred horse (shinme) is enshrined—an emblem of Hachiman’s mount and a symbol of martial fortune, vows, and communal well-being.

5) Ken-tō-ryū Bō no Te — A Martial Offering

During the autumn festival, practitioners perform Bō no Te, a ritual martial display using staffs, swords, spears, and polearms. Originating as a local self-defense art in the Sengoku era, it evolved in the Edo period into a shrine offering—a prayer in motion before the deity.

The local tradition is the Ken-tō-ryū lineage, an early Edo synthesis of staff, sword, and spear arts in the former Owari domain. Today it survives through preservation groups who dedicate their art to Hachiman.