Kominami Jinja Shrine is located at the entrance to the Onyu Valley on the opposite side from Wakasahime Jinja Shrine. Records indicate that Kominami Shrine was the Wakasa Province soja, a type of government shrine built to worship deities from across the province in one location. Other records indicate that the area was previously occupied by Shin-Hachimangu Shrine, which was later moved near Myotsuji Temple. Shin-Hachimangu Shrine was associated with the Matsunaga agricultural estate, one of many private estates in the Wakasa region governed by influential shrines, temples, and noble families based in Kyoto and Nara. In addition to the Saba Kaido (“Mackerel Road”) trade routes, these estates facilitated the transmission of elegant culture from Japan’s ancient capitals to Wakasa. For example, three sets of valuable picture scrolls made in Kyoto, one of which is a designated National Treasure, were preserved at Shin-Hachimangu Shrine for centuries.
