Tsushima Shrine — 津島神社

Tsushima Shrine in Aichi Prefecture is the head shrine of more than 3,000 branch shrines across Japan, yet it owes its existence to a case of mistaken identity. For centuries, worshippers believed they were venerating a plague deity from the Korean island of Tsushima, when in fact they were praying to Susanoo no Mikoto, the storm god who slayed the eight-headed serpent. The confusion arose from Susanoo’s exile to the “foreign land” mentioned in the Kojiki — a phrase that medieval priests interpreted as the actual island of Tsushima. By the time the mistake was discovered, the shrine had become Japan’s most powerful center for epidemic prevention, its summer festival drawing hundreds of thousands seeking protection from disease.

The shrine’s origins trace to around 540 CE, when local fishermen reported seeing strange lights on the Tsushima River. A shrine was established to honor what they believed was a foreign deity arriving from across the sea. During the Heian period (794-1185), as epidemics ravaged the capital, imperial messengers began traveling to Tsushima to pray for relief. The shrine’s reputation solidified during the catastrophic plague of 1182, when survivors credited their recovery to Tsushima amulets. By the Edo period, the Tsushima faith had spread throughout Japan, with branch shrines (Tenno-sha) established in nearly every province. The shrine’s name was officially changed from Tsushima Gozu Tenno-sha to simply Tsushima Shrine during the Meiji Restoration, when the government attempted to purge Buddhist elements from Shinto.

Susanoo no Mikoto (建速須佐之男命) is the primary deity, venerated here specifically in his aspect as protector against epidemics and pestilence. According to the Kojiki, after being banished from the heavenly realm for his violent behavior, Susanoo descended to Izumo Province where he saved an elderly couple’s daughter from the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi. The shrine also enshrines his five sons, known collectively as the Gozu Tenno (Ox-Head Heavenly Kings), a syncretic Buddhist-Shinto formulation that persisted until the Meiji period. The confusion between Susanoo and a Korean deity stemmed from his association with foreign lands and purification — both central to ancient plague-prevention rituals.

The shrine’s central legend tells of how Susanoo, while wandering as an impoverished traveler, asked two brothers for lodging. The wealthy brother Kotan Shorai refused him; the poor brother Somin Shorai welcomed him despite having nothing to offer. In gratitude, Susanoo taught Somin to weave a sacred reed ring and instructed his family to wear it. When plague swept the land, only those wearing Somin Shorai’s rings survived. This legend became the basis for the chinowa kuguri (reed ring purification) ritual performed at shrines nationwide. At Tsushima Shrine, a secondary legend claims that during the 1182 plague, a white serpent appeared on the shrine’s sacred cedar and instructed a priest to distribute blessed water from the Tsushima River. Thousands drank it and recovered overnight.

The main hall (honden) was reconstructed in 1605 by order of Toyotomi Hideyori and exemplifies the Owari-zukuri style unique to this region, with its distinctive three-bay facade and curved bargeboard ends. The worship hall features elaborate carvings of waves and dragons, symbolizing Susanoo’s mastery over water and storms. The shrine grounds contain an ancient sacred pond called Maruyama, where five ornate festival boats are moored year-round. The massive stone torii at the entrance dates to 1591 and bears the now-obsolete name “Gozu Tenno.” Behind the main complex stands a grove of ancient camphor trees, the largest measuring over 1,000 years old, their twisted roots said to contain the spirits of plague victims who died praying for salvation.

• Tsushima Tenno Matsuri (July) — One of Japan’s three great river festivals, featuring five elaborately decorated boats carrying lanterns on the Tsushima River. The festival originated in 1438 as a ritual to pacify epidemic spirits. On the evening of the fourth Saturday in July, over 400 paper lanterns are lit on the boats, creating a floating constellation meant to guide plague demons safely back to the spirit world. The festival culminates at dawn with the Asakematsuri, where participants purify themselves in the river.
• Natsu Koshi no Oharae (June 30) — The summer purification ceremony where visitors pass through a massive chinowa (sacred reed ring) to cleanse accumulated impurities of the first half of the year.
• Reisai (October 15) — The annual grand festival featuring traditional court music and offerings of harvested rice.

July for the lantern festival, though the crowds number in the tens of thousands and require advance planning. Late June offers the chinowa purification ritual without the overwhelming attendance. Early November brings autumn foliage around Maruyama Pond, and the camphor grove glows amber in the morning light. Avoid weekends during epidemic scares — the shrine becomes a pilgrimage site during health crises, as it did during the 2020 pandemic.