Nagata Shrine — 長田神社

On January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake collapsed most of central Kobe — including Nagata Shrine’s main hall, which had stood since 1654. But the shrine’s sacred evergreen tree, a massive kusunoki camphor estimated at over 500 years old, remained upright through the shaking. In the weeks after, when the neighborhood was still rubble and smoke, people came to tie prayers to its branches. The tree became a symbol of endurance, and the shrine’s reconstruction became the psychological center of Kobe’s recovery. Today, Nagata Shrine is best known not for earthquake survival but for its Tsuina Festival, where a seven-meter-tall demon is chased through the streets and burned in a bonfire each February — a ritual of purification that takes on new meaning in a city that rebuilt itself from ash.

Nagata Shrine was founded in 201 CE during the reign of Empress Jingū, making it one of the oldest shrines in the Kobe area and predating the city itself by over a millennium. It served as the *ichinomiya* (first-ranked shrine) of Settsu Province, a position of regional spiritual authority. The current shrine complex was reconstructed in 1654 during the early Edo period, but this structure was destroyed in the 1995 earthquake. The main hall was rebuilt in 1998 using traditional hinoki cypress construction techniques, funded by donations from across Japan. The shrine’s sacred camphor tree, however, has stood continuously since at least the Muromachi period, witnessing Kobe’s transformation from fishing village to international port to disaster zone to modern city.

Kotoshironushi no Mikoto is the primary deity, known as a kami of commerce, fisheries, and oracular wisdom. He is the son of Ōkuninushi and appears in the *Kojiki* as the deity who facilitated the transfer of the earthly realm to the heavenly kami — essentially a divine negotiator. This association with commerce made Nagata Shrine popular among Kobe’s merchant class during the Edo period. The shrine also enshrines Ōnamuchi no Mikoto (another name for Ōkuninushi) and Sukunahikona no Mikoto, kami of medicine and nation-building. Together, the three deities represent prosperity, health, and the foundation of civilization — appropriate guardians for a shrine that has overseen a region’s rebirth.

The shrine’s most enigmatic legend involves its founding ritual. According to shrine records, Empress Jingū, returning from her legendary campaign to the Korean peninsula, was instructed in a dream to enshrine Kotoshironushi at the location where a sacred vine (*tsubaki*) grew in a specific configuration. The site was found on a hill overlooking what is now Nagata Ward, and the shrine was established there. For centuries, a particular variety of camellia grew only at this shrine, considered a direct descendant of the original sacred vine — though the 1945 Kobe air raids destroyed most of the original flora. The camphor tree, however, carries its own legend: it is said to have been planted by a monk traveling from Kyushu in the 1400s, who prophesied that the tree would protect the shrine through fire and disaster. The tree survived both the WWII firebombing and the 1995 earthquake, its trunk splitting but remaining rooted.

The rebuilt main hall follows the *nagare-zukuri* style typical of Settsu Province shrines, with a gracefully sweeping roof that extends forward to shelter worshippers. The vermilion pillars and white walls create the classic Shinto color scheme, but the wood is noticeably newer — the hinoki still pale compared to the aged timbers of other ancient shrines. The sacred camphor tree stands to the left of the worship hall, its trunk measuring over six meters in circumference, with ropes (*shimenawa*) marking its sacred status. A stone monument near the tree commemorates the earthquake and recovery. The shrine grounds also contain a small Inari subshrine and a distinctive stone lantern donated in 1802 by local fishermen. The precincts are modest in size but densely layered with history — every stone and tree carries memory.

• Tsuina Festival (February 3, Setsubun) — The shrine’s signature event features a seven-meter-tall demon effigy called *oni* paraded through Nagata Ward on a massive wooden frame carried by dozens of men. At night, the demon is placed atop a bonfire and burned while priests perform purification rituals. The festival attracts over 100,000 people and has been held since the Muromachi period as a dramatic exorcism of misfortune.
• Autumn Grand Festival (September) — A three-day celebration with portable shrine processions (*mikoshi*) through the neighborhood, traditional dance performances, and offerings of the season’s first rice harvest to the kami.
• New Year Rituals (January 1-3) — Large crowds come for *hatsumode*, with special prayers offered for business prosperity and safety in the new year, continuing the shrine’s role as a protector of commerce.

Early morning in autumn offers the most contemplative experience — the camphor tree’s leaves turn golden-bronze in October and November, and the crisp air carries the scent of burning incense from the morning rituals. For cultural immersion, the Tsuina Festival on February 3 is essential, but arrive early as the neighborhood becomes impassable by evening. Avoid January 1-3 unless you enjoy crowds; the shrine receives over 500,000 visitors during the New Year period, transforming the quiet precincts into a sea of people.