This shrine was once dedicated to Onyu Myojin (also known as Wakasahikogami and Hikohohodemi no Mikoto), the deity associated with the famous Omizu Okuri (“water-sending”) ritual held at the nearby Unose shoal of the Onyu River. Back then, it was called Onyu Jinja Shrine, and a wooden nameplate bearing this name is preserved among the shrine’s treasures. Historically, it was part of the Wakasa Province ichinomiya, the shrine considered the most important in the region and designated to receive government patronage. The ichinomiya used to be a large complex that included an Upper Shrine and a Lower Shrine, but at present Wakasahiko Shrine (the Upper Shrine) and Wakasahime Shrine (the Lower Shrine) are regarded as separate.
The deity now worshipped at Wakasahime Shrine is the sea goddess Toyotamahime, the wife of the deity Hikohohodemi no Mikoto now enshrined at Wakasahiko Shrine. Couples who want children and pregnant women wishing for a safe and easy delivery often pray to Toyotamahime. Wakasahime Shrine is also known as one of Wakasa “power spots”, a place that has a certain mystical energy that visitors can benefit from.
After crossing a beautiful stream at the front, the shrine approach leads to the Zuishin Gate and the main hall, both designated Tangible Cultural Properties by Fukui Prefecture. The magnificent Sennen Sugi (“thousand-year cedar”) tree that stands in the main hall precincts seems like a living witness to the rich history of the Wakasa region.
During the annual shrine festival held in October, a large taiko drum performance and a sacred kagura dance are dedicated to the deity. They also serve as a reminder of the prosperous history of Wakasahime Shrine and the surrounding Onyu townscape that once flourished due to being located at the crossroads of important trade routes such as the Saba Kaido (“Mackerel Road”), which connected Obama to Kyoto, the old capital of Japan.
