Omiwa Shrine

About Omiwa Shrine

Omiwa Shrine (大神神社, Ōmiwa Jinja, also written Oomiwa) in Miwa, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, is the ichinomiya, or leading shrine, of the old province of Yamato; three of its structures, including a worship hall rebuilt in 1664, are Important Cultural Properties, and its grounds were designated a Historic Site in 1985.

The kanji 大神 would normally be read "ōkami," great deity, but here they are read "Ōmiwa." Locals also call it Miwa Myōjin, and the shrine itself uses the friendly name "Miwa-san."

What sets Omiwa Shrine apart is an absence. There is no main sanctuary (honden). The deity, Ōmononushi no Ōkami, is believed to reside in Mount Miwa itself, so visitors pray in the worship hall facing the mountain. The shrine describes this as worship in the form it took before shrine buildings existed, and calls itself the oldest shrine in Japan.

Its founding legend appears in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. In the Kojiki, Ōmononushi appears before the deity Ōkuninushi of Izumo and asks to be enshrined on the mountain east of Yamato so that the work of building the land can be completed. Court rites continued here through the Heian period, and in 859 the deity received Senior First Rank, the highest rank the court could grant. Omiwa Shrine later became ichinomiya of Yamato and was counted among the Twenty-Two Shrines that received special imperial offerings.

Designated Cultural Properties at Omiwa Shrine

Three structures in the Omiwa Shrine precinct are designated by the national government, all of them as an Important Cultural Property.

• Worship Hall (Haiden): a large unpainted hall rebuilt in 1664 and designated in 1921.
• Mitsu Torii: a set of three gateways joined side by side behind the worship hall, marking the edge of the forbidden sacred ground. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the present structure to 1883; it was designated in 1953 together with the mizugaki fence that extends from either side.
• Ōtataneko Shrine Hall: the sanctuary of the auxiliary shrine Ōtataneko Jinja, known as the Wakamiya, and until the early Meiji era the main hall of Daigorinji, the shrine's Buddhist temple. It was designated in 1901.

Separately, the Omiwa Shrine grounds were designated a Historic Site on March 18, 1985, under the criterion covering former temple and shrine precincts and other sites of ritual and worship. The Agency's note points to two things: a form of worship that treats the whole of Mount Miwa as the sacred body, with no main sanctuary, and the well-known ritual sites at the foot of the mountain.

Walking the Omiwa Shrine Grounds

Enter through the second torii on the Miwa Station side and follow the approach under tall cedars; the worship hall of Omiwa Shrine appears straight ahead. This is where you pray. The Mitsu Torii stands farther back, behind the hall, so it cannot be seen from the front.

After praying, walk back down the approach and head for Ōtataneko Jinja, roughly 300 meters northwest of the worship hall in a straight line. Look for a large tiled roof. Because the building began life as a temple hall, it looks nothing like the worship hall, and seeing the two in one visit makes the shrine's long Buddhist chapter easy to grasp.

Temples, Syncretism, and Separation at Omiwa Shrine

In the medieval period, Shinto and Buddhism were practiced together at Omiwa Shrine. Its affiliated temples, Daigorinji and Byodoji, spread a school of thought known as Miwa Shinto across Japan. The main hall of Daigorinji enshrined the Wakamiya deity together with a statue of the Eleven-Headed Kannon. After the Meiji government ordered Shinto and Buddhism separated, the temple was abolished, and its main hall survived as the sanctuary of Ōtataneko Jinja. The Kannon statue is now kept at Shorinji, another temple in Sakurai.

In the Edo period the shogunate confirmed the shrine's landholdings and protected Mount Miwa; the worship hall was rebuilt in 1664 during this time. In the Meiji era Omiwa Shrine was ranked among the highest class of government shrines.

Getting to Omiwa Shrine and Visiting Information

The nearest station is Miwa on the JR Sakurai Line (Manyo Mahoroba Line). Allow about 10 minutes on foot to reach the worship hall by way of the second torii. Drivers will find parking beyond the giant torii that spans the road.

Entry to the grounds is free and there is no admission fee. The amulet counter is open between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (until 4:30 p.m. in December through February), and the Sanshuden reception hall between 7:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Prayer ceremonies are accepted until 4:00 p.m. (3:30 p.m. in winter). Hours may change on New Year's Day, on the first of each month, and on Sundays and holidays, depending on crowds.

Omiwa Shrine allows personal snapshots and video within ordinary good manners, but photography is banned in designated places such as the slopes of Mount Miwa. Photographing, filming, or recording inside the worship hall, the prayer hall, or the halls of auxiliary shrines is firmly refused, especially during ceremonies.