Tamura Shrine — 田村神社 (高松市)

Tamura Shrine sits on land where a dragon is said to live beneath the main hall. The shrine’s founding legend claims that when construction began in ancient times, workers discovered a deep pool of water that had no bottom — a portal, according to local belief, to an underwater realm ruled by a water deity. Rather than fill it in, the builders constructed the honden directly over it, making Tamura one of the few shrines in Japan where the object of worship is not an image or mirror, but a body of living water beneath the floorboards. Visitors can peer through a grated opening in the floor and see the pool’s dark surface reflecting candlelight.

Tamura Shrine was established in 709 CE during the Wadō period, making it one of Shikoku’s oldest shrines. It served as the ichinomiya (first-ranked shrine) of Sanuki Province, the ancient name for what is now Kagawa Prefecture. The shrine was founded by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, a famous military commander who suppressed rebellions in northern Japan and was later deified. He dedicated the shrine to water deities after experiencing a vision near the sacred pool. The current main hall was reconstructed in 1670 after a fire, preserving the original architectural plan that positions the building directly over the underground spring.

Yamato Takeru no Mikoto is the primary deity, the legendary warrior prince of the Kojiki known for his military prowess and tragic death. He is enshrined alongside Sarutahiko no Mikoto, the guidance deity who appears at crossroads, and Ame-no-Uzume no Mikoto, the goddess of dawn and mirth who danced to lure Amaterasu from her cave. The shrine also honors Tamayori-hime, a water goddess, reflecting the site’s association with the sacred pool. This combination of martial and aquatic deities creates an unusual theological pairing — strength guided by the flow of water.

The dragon pool beneath Tamura’s main hall is the shrine’s central mystery. According to the founding legend recorded in shrine documents, workers attempting to dig the foundation struck water that flowed upward with such force that it flooded the construction site. When a priest was lowered on a rope to measure the depth, the rope ran out at one hundred meters without touching bottom. That night, the head priest dreamed of a white dragon who declared itself guardian of the land and demanded the pool remain undisturbed. Construction resumed with the honden built on pillars, leaving the water exposed beneath. Edo-period records describe offerings of rice and sake being dropped into the pool, which were said to vanish instantly, consumed by the dragon below.

The honden (main sanctuary) is built in the nagare-zukuri style with a distinctive platform structure that elevates it above the dragon pool. A viewing lattice in the floor allows visitors to glimpse the water below, though the depth makes it appear almost black except when illuminated. The shrine grounds contain a sacred forest of camphor trees, some over 400 years old, and a traditional temizuya (purification fountain) carved from a single stone. A separate shrine building honors Sarutahiko, marked by a distinctive phallic stone pillar associated with fertility prayers. The shrine’s treasure house preserves Muromachi-period scrolls depicting the dragon pool legend in vivid color.

• Tamura Shrine Grand Festival (October 7-8) — The annual autumn festival features portable shrine processions through Takamatsu’s old quarter, accompanied by traditional hayashi music. The climax occurs when priests drop specially prepared offerings into the dragon pool while reciting ancient prayers.
• Hatsumode New Year Visits — One of Kagawa Prefecture’s most crowded hatsumode destinations, drawing over 100,000 visitors in the first three days of January who come to pray for auspicious beginnings.
• Setsubun Bean-Throwing (February 3) — A lively mamemaki ceremony where participants throw roasted soybeans to drive out oni (demons), followed by distribution of blessed beans believed to bring good fortune when eaten.

Early morning in October, when autumn mist rises from the dragon pool and visibility through the floor grating is clearest. The cooler air creates condensation that makes the pool’s surface shimmer. Spring brings cherry blossoms to the shrine’s eastern approach, but the dragon pool itself is the true seasonal constant — its temperature remains steady year-round, creating subtle variations in air temperature that the observant can feel when standing above it.