Nishinomiya Shrine — 西宮神社

Every January 10th at 6 AM, the main gate of Nishinomiya Shrine opens and several thousand men sprint 230 meters toward the inner sanctuary. The first three to reach the hall and slam their hands on its wooden doors are declared “Lucky Men” for the year—photographed, televised, and guaranteed a year of commercial prosperity. The ritual, called Tōka Ebisu Taisai, has been running since 1940, and it is pure economic prayer made into sport: men in business suits crash into each other at full speed for the chance to embody Ebisu, the kami of merchants, fishermen, and honest profit.

Nishinomiya Shrine was established in the early Heian period, though local tradition places Ebisu worship at this site as far back as the 3rd century. The shrine became the head shrine of approximately 3,500 Ebisu shrines across Japan during the Edo period, when merchant culture in Osaka and the surrounding Kansai region elevated Ebisu from a regional fishing deity to a national symbol of commerce. The current main hall was reconstructed in 1961 after American firebombing in 1945 destroyed the original structure. Despite this, Nishinomiya retains its status as Ebisu-no-sōhonsha—the total headquarters of Ebisu worship.

Ebisu is the primary deity, one of the Seven Lucky Gods and the only member of that group with purely Japanese origins. He is depicted carrying a fishing rod and a sea bream, symbols of sustenance earned through labor. Unlike most Shinto kami, Ebisu has no clear mythological origin in the Kojiki or Nihon Shoki. Some traditions identify him with Hiruko, the malformed first child of Izanagi and Izanami who was cast into the sea and later deified. Others consider him the spirit of Kotoshironushi, a kami of fishing and oracles. What is consistent is his association with the honest work of fishermen and merchants—he does not bestow sudden wealth, but ensures fair profit through effort.

The most widely told legend connects Ebisu to Hiruko, the “leech child” born without bones to the creator deities Izanagi and Izanami. Deemed imperfect, Hiruko was placed in a reed boat and set adrift before his third birthday. The boat eventually came to shore near present-day Nishinomiya, where local fishermen found the child still alive. Over years, Hiruko’s body hardened and he learned to walk. He became a protector of fishermen and those who work the sea, and was eventually deified as Ebisu. The story explains his iconography: the fishing rod represents the trade that saved him, and his slightly hunched posture recalls the child who had to learn to stand. Unlike kami born perfect, Ebisu earned his divinity through survival and labor.

The shrine grounds cover approximately 18,000 square meters and are entered through a large vermilion gate flanked by stone guardian dogs. The main worship hall, reconstructed in modern nagare-zukuri style, sits behind a spacious courtyard used for the January sprint. To the right of the main hall is a smaller shrine dedicated to Ōkuninushi, Ebisu’s father in some traditions. The grounds also contain a pond called Tama-no-Ike, believed to bring fortune to those who toss coins into it with their eyes closed. The shrine’s ema (votive plaques) are shaped like sea bream and are purchased in enormous numbers during the January festival.

• Tōka Ebisu Taisai (January 9-11) — The three-day Ebisu Festival, with the famous sprint occurring at dawn on January 10th. Over one million visitors attend across the three days.
• Nagoshi no Harae (June 30) — A purification ritual marking the halfway point of the year, involving passage through a large ring of woven grass to cleanse accumulated impurities.
• Aki Ebisu (October 20) — An autumn festival of gratitude for the year’s harvests and business success, smaller in scale but equally devoted to commercial prosperity.

January 10th if you want to witness the sprint, though the crowds are suffocating—over 100,000 people compress into the shrine grounds between 5 and 7 AM. For a quieter experience that still captures the commercial energy of the shrine, visit on a weekday in early October when business owners come to pray for year-end profits. The autumn light on the red gate is excellent, and the ema plaques accumulate like a written record of the year’s economic anxieties.