Nagoya, Japan Shrine Visit Report 2026 Minami No.1 Ushige Jinja
Ushige Shrine — Stonework and Local History on the Tenpaku River Embankment in Nagoya
On August 11, 2026, I visited Ushige Shrine in Moto-Naruo-cho, Minami Ward, Nagoya.
Minami Ward is about a 30-minute drive from my office. It was sunny and about 91°F (33°C). Although it was midsummer, the weather was good for visiting shrines.
Ushige Shrine stands directly beside the Tenpaku River on an embankment raised above the surrounding area. The grounds contain a stone torii gate, large Shinzen-type stone lanterns, a pair of komainu guardian statues, a stone purification basin, several smaller shrines, older stone lanterns, stone monuments, and other stonework.
According to the City of Nagoya, Ushige was one of several settlements that developed on sandbars formed by the Tenpaku River. The shrine also stands on the river embankment, making the relationship between the old community and the river clearly visible today.
Photographic Record of Ushige Shrine
001 Stone Steps Leading to the Shrine on the Embankment
These stone steps lead from the lower ground toward Ushige Shrine on the embankment. A stone monument with flowers stands on the right. The view clearly shows that the shrine is elevated above the surrounding area.
002 Stone Monuments With Flowers
These stone monuments remain beside the approach. Some of the inscriptions have become difficult to read because of weathering, but flowers are still placed here, showing that the monuments continue to be cared for by the local community. The monument on the left is engraved with the name Prince Shotoku.
003 The Tenpaku River and Ushige Shrine
This photograph shows Ushige Shrine from beside the Tenpaku River. The shrine stands directly on the river embankment, with its trees and stone torii gate visible above. The setting makes the historical relationship between the Ushige community and the river easy to understand.
004 Entrance to Ushige Shrine
This is the main entrance to Ushige Shrine. A stone marker engraved with the shrine's name stands on the left, while large Shinzen-type stone lanterns flank the stone torii gate. The shrine buildings can be seen farther along the approach.
005 Information Board Within the Shrine Grounds
The information board within the shrine grounds identifies Susanoo-no-Mikoto as the principal deity and also lists other deities worshipped here. The board gives 1822 as the shrine's founding year. However, City of Nagoya records estimate that the shrine existed before the land surveys conducted between 1582 and 1595. Because these records differ, this article preserves both accounts rather than choosing one over the other.
006 Large Shinzen-type Stone Lantern Beside the Torii Gate
This large Shinzen-type stone lantern stands beside the stone torii gate. It rises from a substantial multi-level stone base, and its shaft is engraved with characters meaning “votive lantern.” The large light chamber, roof, and finial make it one of the most prominent stone features at the shrine entrance.
007 Matching Shinzen-type Stone Lantern
This is the matching Shinzen-type stone lantern on the opposite side of the entrance. It also bears a votive inscription. Together, the two lanterns frame the approach and stone torii gate.
008 1907 Inscription on the Stone Lantern
An inscription on the back of the stone lantern records the year 1907. This gives a clear date for one of the major stone features at the shrine entrance.
009 Wooden Purification Pavilion
This wooden purification pavilion has a tiled roof and contains a large stone basin. It stands beneath mature trees in a quiet part of the shrine grounds.
010 Stone Purification Basin Donated in 1769
According to City of Nagoya records, this stone purification basin was donated in 1769. Large characters are carved into its front, and the top is currently covered with boards for protection and management.
011 Worship Hall and Paired Komainu
This is the front of the worship hall. A pair of stone komainu guardian statues stands on either side, with large characters meaning “votive dedication” carved into their pedestals. The wooden shrine building and stone monuments form the central view of the grounds.
012 Stone Komainu Guardian Statue
This is one of the komainu in front of the worship hall. Its open mouth, curled mane, powerful legs, and raised tail are strongly carved. The pedestal also preserves inscriptions recording the donors.
013 Matching Stone Komainu
This is the matching komainu on the opposite side. The expression, curled mane, chest, and legs remain clearly defined. Both statues stand on tall stone bases.
014 Rear View of the Komainu and Its Large Carved Tail
This rear view shows the deeply carved tail rising from the back of the komainu, a feature that is difficult to appreciate from the front. The stone is engraved with the year 1923 as well as the names of the people who donated it.
015 Old Kasuga-type Stone Lantern With Detailed Carving
An older stone lantern of a different style also survives within the shrine grounds. Its roof has curled decorative corners, while the light chamber, platform, and base contain detailed carving. Part of the stone roof has been damaged and is missing.
016 Kasuga-type and Shinzen-type Stone Lanterns
A Kasuga-type stone lantern and a Shinzen-type stone lantern stand near each other here. The Kasuga-type lantern in the background is more decorative, while the Shinzen-type lantern in front has a larger open light chamber and a simpler overall form. Different styles of Japanese stone lantern can be seen within the same shrine grounds.
017 Large Muku Tree and Old Stone Lantern
A large muku tree stands near the shrine buildings. City of Nagoya materials identify it as one of the notable features of Ushige Shrine, and a marker at the site identifies it as a protected tree. An old stone lantern stands nearby.
018 Smaller Shrines Lined Up on a Stone Wall
Several small wooden shrines are arranged in a row on top of a stone wall. Sacred ropes and folded paper streamers hang from the structures. The information board lists Amaterasu Omikami, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Okuninushi-no-Kami, Emperor Sutoku, and Amatsuhikone-no-Mikoto among the deities worshipped within the shrine grounds.
019 Natural-Stone Foundation Supporting the Shrine Buildings
The side of the shrine complex is supported by masonry made from natural stones of different shapes and sizes. Unlike uniformly cut stone, this older style of stonework preserves the irregular forms of the individual rocks.
020 Open Shrine Grounds and Rear View of the Komainu
This view looks across the shrine grounds from the worship hall. A broad open area extends beneath mature trees, and one of the komainu can be seen from behind. Additional shrine-related buildings also stand within the grounds.
021 Torii Gates and Approach Seen From Inside the Shrine
This view looks outward through the torii gates from inside the shrine grounds. Large Shinzen-type stone lanterns stand on both sides of the approach, while mature trees cover much of the grounds. The gray torii gate was made in 2020 and is constructed of metal.
022 Boat-type Jizo Near the Shrine Entrance
One interesting feature of old village shrines in Japan is that Buddhist objects can sometimes remain beside Shinto shrines. A boat-type Jizo, a Buddhist stone statue carved within a boat-shaped stone outline, stands near the entrance here. Today Shinto and Buddhism are generally treated as separate traditions, but before 1872 the boundary between them was often much less distinct. This Jizo may preserve a trace of that older religious landscape.
About Ushige Shrine
| Name | Ushige Shrine |
|---|---|
| Address | Moto-Naruo-cho, Minami Ward, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan |
| Principal Deity | Susanoo-no-Mikoto |
| Foundation | City of Nagoya records estimate that the shrine existed before the land surveys conducted between 1582 and 1595. The information board at the shrine gives 1822 as the founding year. |
| Main Stone Features Observed | Stone torii gate, stone shrine marker, Shinzen-type stone lanterns, Kasuga-type stone lantern, komainu guardian statues, stone purification basin, natural-stone masonry, stone monuments, and stone objects related to local religious traditions |
| Main Focus of This Article | The shrine on the Tenpaku River embankment and the stone monuments and local religious traditions preserved within its grounds. |
Deities Worshipped at Ushige Shrine
| Deity | Overview |
|---|---|
| Amaterasu Omikami | The sun deity and one of the most important deities in Shinto, best known as the principal deity of the Inner Shrine at Ise Jingu. |
| Susanoo-no-Mikoto | The principal deity of Ushige Shrine, widely worshipped for protection from disasters and epidemics. |
| Okuninushi-no-Kami | A deity associated with nation-building, agriculture, commerce, healing, and matchmaking. |
| Emperor Sutoku | The 75th emperor of Japan, who is also worshipped in connection with the religious tradition of Kotohira-gu. |
| Amatsuhikone-no-Mikoto | One of the divine children of Amaterasu Omikami in Japanese mythology. |
The Ushige Community and the Sandbars of the Tenpaku River
According to City of Nagoya records, Ushige developed on land formed by sandbars of the Tenpaku River, together with the neighboring settlements of Honji, Minamino, and Arai. Ushige Shrine itself stands on the river embankment.
The riverbanks are now reinforced, but the Tenpaku River still flows immediately beside the shrine. Looking from the shrine grounds toward the river makes it easy to understand how closely the settlement, embankment, and shrine were connected.
Ushige was also counted among the seven old villages of Hoshizaki. Salt production using coastal salt fields was once practiced in this area, reflecting a landscape very different from the residential and industrial districts seen here today.
Principal Deity — Susanoo-no-Mikoto
The information board at the shrine identifies Susanoo-no-Mikoto as the principal deity of Ushige Shrine.
Susanoo has long been worshipped throughout Japan as a deity associated with protection from disasters and epidemics.
Two Different Records of the Shrine's Foundation
There are two different records concerning the foundation of Ushige Shrine.
Official material published by Minami Ward, City of Nagoya, estimates that the shrine existed before the land surveys carried out between 1582 and 1595.
In contrast, the information board within the shrine grounds gives 1822 as the founding year. The difference is substantial, and the materials reviewed for this article do not explain why the two dates differ.
Rather than selecting one date as correct, this article records both the City of Nagoya account and the information displayed at the shrine.
Stone Purification Basin Donated in 1769
City of Nagoya records state that a stone purification basin donated in 1769 remains within the shrine grounds.
The large rectangular basin was carved from stone and now stands beneath the wooden purification pavilion. The survival of a stone donation more than 250 years old makes it one of the most important historical stone objects at Ushige Shrine.
Shinzen-type Stone Lanterns Along the Approach
A pair of large Shinzen-type stone lanterns stands on either side of the stone torii gate. Their shafts bear votive inscriptions, and the lanterns rise from substantial multi-level stone bases.
One of the lanterns has an inscription dated 1907. Elsewhere in the shrine grounds, several older lanterns of different forms also remain, including a Kasuga-type stone lantern. Differences in the roofs, light chambers, platforms, shafts, bases, and decorative carving show how stone lanterns of different styles and periods accumulated within the shrine grounds.
Paired Komainu Guardian Statues
A pair of stone komainu guardian statues stands on tall stone bases in front of the worship hall.
The open mouth, curled mane, chest, legs, and large raised tail are deeply carved. An inscription records the year 1923, together with the names of the people who donated the statues.
The Muku Tree and Stonework Within the Grounds
A large muku tree stands within the shrine grounds. A marker identifies it as a protected tree, and City of Nagoya materials also describe it as one of the notable features of Ushige Shrine.
Old stone lanterns, smaller shrines, and natural-stone foundations remain around the tree, creating a landscape in which mature vegetation and stonework have developed together.
Smaller Shrines and Five Deities
Several smaller shrines stand within the grounds. The information board lists Amaterasu Omikami, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Okuninushi-no-Kami, Emperor Sutoku, and Amatsuhikone-no-Mikoto among the deities worshipped here.
The presence of several deities within the same grounds reflects the way an old village shrine could serve as a center for multiple forms of local worship.
Koshin Monument and Local Religious Traditions
Old stone monuments are protected beneath a small roof in one corner of the grounds. City of Nagoya materials note the presence of a monument associated with Koshin worship at Ushige Shrine.
These objects show that the grounds preserve not only the main structures and guardian statues of the shrine but also stone monuments connected with other forms of local religious practice.
Boat-type Jizo Near the Shrine Entrance
A boat-type Jizo with flowers placed before it remains near the entrance to Ushige Shrine.
Today Shinto and Buddhism are generally regarded as separate religious traditions. In earlier periods of Japanese history, however, kami and Buddhist figures were often worshipped within overlapping religious landscapes. The presence of a Buddhist Jizo beside this village shrine appears to preserve part of that older tradition.
Ushige Shrine and Local Festivals
Objects connected with local festivals at Ushige Shrine have also survived. The Nagoya City Museum has exhibited equipment once used to decorate festival horses as well as components of a kasahoko festival cart associated with the shrine.
In the Owari region, festivals known as Uma-no-To once involved decorating horses and presenting them at shrines and temples. Although this tradition is difficult to imagine from the quiet shrine grounds today, surviving objects show that Ushige Shrine was closely connected with the festival culture of the surrounding community.
Historical Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Before 1582–1595 | City of Nagoya records estimate that Ushige Shrine existed before the land surveys carried out during this period. |
| 1769 | The stone purification basin that remains within the shrine grounds is said to have been donated in this year. |
| 1822 | The information board at the shrine gives this year as the founding date of Ushige Shrine. |
| 1907 | An inscription on one of the large Shinzen-type stone lanterns beside the entrance records this year. |
| 1923 | The stone komainu in front of the worship hall bear this year together with the names of their donors. |
| 2020 | The gray metal torii gate now standing within the shrine grounds was installed in this year. |
| Today | The shrine grounds on the Tenpaku River embankment preserve shrine buildings, torii gates, Shinzen-type and Kasuga-type stone lanterns, komainu, a stone purification basin, smaller shrines, stone monuments, and the large muku tree. |
Ushige Shrine on the Tenpaku River Embankment
What impressed me most during my visit was how close Ushige Shrine is to the Tenpaku River. Mature trees remain on the embankment, with stone structures from different periods standing throughout the grounds.
The shrine preserves traces of the history of the Ushige community, its stonework, and several layers of local religious tradition. This article records the shrine as I saw it on August 11, 2026.
Japanese Garden Stone Lanterns — Stone Lanterns for Sale From Japan
Komainu Set Statue Granite Gray Stone Sculpture Shrine Handmade Japanese Garden
Boat-Shaped Enmei Jizo Statue | Natsuyama Stone, 16.14 in
Recorded on August 11, 2026
Written on August 11, 2026