About Hiromine Jinja Shrine
Obama’s Hiromine Shrine is located near Wakasa Bay, just a short stroll from the Minami River. It known for the Funadamasha, a sub-shrine on the grounds that enshrines a large votive ship model related to Obama’s time as a thriving port. The model was crafted to resemble a kitamaebune, a distinctive type of trading ship that sailed the coastal route between Osaka and Hokkaido from the mid-Edo period (1603–1867) to the early Showa period (1926–1945). Obama’s midway point along the route on the Sea of Japan side and its relative proximity to Kyoto made the city an important port of call for such ships.
Until the Meiji period (1868–1912), Hiromine Shrine served as the place of worship for the tutelary deity of the land around Obama Castle. During that time, it was common for religious institutions to practice a syncretic version of Shinto and Buddhism. This led to the founding of a jinguji, a type of Buddhist temple that operated within shrine precincts. The jinguji at Hiromine Shrine was called Shorinji Temple and housed Buddhist statuary from the late Heian period (794–1185). After the two religions were separated by government decree in 1868, Shorinji Temple was abolished and the statues were transferred to Myotsuji Temple and Hagaji Temple.
Gion Festival at Hiromine Shrine
The Gion Festival has been held at Hiromine Shrine for over 500 years. It was inspired by Kyoto’s famous Gion Festival, an annual event renowned for its grand procession of lavishly decorated floats and convoys of costumed performers. Festivals, as well as other cultural and religious traditions, made their way from the ancient capital to the Wakasa region via the Saba Kaido (“Mackerel Road”), a network of historical trade routes that connected the regions. Hiromine Shrine’s Gion Festival includes a procession of portable shrine as well as large shoji and kamaboko-style floats that are not often seen at other festivals. It is believed that kamaboko-style floats were once part of Kyoto’s Gion Festival during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The floats serve as a reminder of the regions’ history as a place of cultural exchange and show how some traditions that were lost in Kyoto continued to be handed down for generations by communities in Obama.
Obama’s proximity to the sea also shaped some aspects of its Gion Festival. At the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1867), the city was divided in two sections by the construction of Obama Castle. During this time, special boats were used to sail the portable shrine across Obama Bay for the festival. The procession over the water, known as funatogyo, has since become an iconic part of the festival.
