Ōasahiko Shrine — 大麻比古神社

Ōasahiko Shrine sits at the base of Mount Ōasa in Tokushima Prefecture, its name written with characters that mean “great hemp” — a reference not to the plant itself but to the ancient textile industry that sustained this region of Shikoku. The shrine’s primary deity is credited with teaching the people of Awa Province how to cultivate hemp and weave it into cloth, a technology that transformed subsistence farmers into textile exporters. Today the shrine grounds contain a living relic of that instruction: two camphor trees, estimated at over 1,000 years old, their massive trunks fused together as if demonstrating the principle of weaving itself.

Ōasahiko Shrine was established during the reign of Emperor Jimmu, traditionally dated to the 7th century BCE, making it one of Shikoku’s oldest documented places of worship. The shrine served as the ichinomiya (first-ranked shrine) of ancient Awa Province throughout the classical period. Historical records from the Engishiki (927 CE) list it among the nation’s most significant shrines entitled to imperial offerings. The current main hall was reconstructed in 1822 after fire destroyed the previous structure, but archaeological evidence suggests continuous ritual activity at this site for at least 1,300 years. The shrine’s prominence grew during the Muromachi period when Awa hemp cloth became a tributary item to the imperial court.

Ame-no-Hiwashi-no-Mikoto (天日鷲命) is the primary deity, a grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu who descended to Awa Province and taught hemp cultivation and weaving to the indigenous people. According to the Kojiki, he played a crucial role in the myth of Amaterasu’s emergence from the heavenly cave by weaving the sacred cloth offerings used in the ritual. The shrine also enshrines Ōasa-hiko-no-Mikoto (大麻比古命), considered either an alternate name or a localized manifestation of the same deity. His messenger is the hawk, reflecting the “hiwashi” (sun-hawk) element in his name, and stone hawk statues rather than the typical foxes or dogs guard the shrine precincts.

When Ame-no-Hiwashi descended to Awa, the land was covered in dense forest and the people wore only animal skins. He brought seeds of the hemp plant and taught the cultivation cycle: planting in spring, harvesting in summer, retting the stalks in the Yoshino River, and separating the fibers by hand. The women who first learned his weaving technique produced cloth so fine it was said to glow like moonlight. The deity demonstrated the loom himself, and where his hands touched the earth, two camphor saplings sprouted and grew intertwined. When imperial messengers later came to collect tribute cloth, they found these trees and declared them sacred. The technique he taught — Awa-shoai indigo-dyed hemp — became famous throughout Japan and sustained the region’s economy for two millennia.

The shrine complex follows the Shinmei-zukuri architectural style, characterized by simple, elegant lines and unpainted cypress wood. The main hall (honden) sits on a stone platform accessed by a steep stone stairway flanked by the ancient camphor trees, their combined trunk circumference exceeding 8 meters. A vermilion worship hall (haiden) stands before it, rebuilt in modern times but maintaining traditional proportions. The entrance is marked by a distinctive stone torii rather than the typical wooden construction, quarried from local Awa bluestone. The shrine grounds extend into the forested slopes of Mount Ōasa, where subsidiary shrines mark the sites of ancient hemp fields. A small museum near the main precinct displays antique hemp-weaving tools and samples of historical Awa cloth.

• Shunki Taisai (Spring Grand Festival, April 3) — The primary annual festival featuring processions of mikoshi and traditional dance performances, commemorating the deity’s arrival in Awa Province.
• Aki Matsuri (Autumn Festival, October 16-17) — A harvest thanksgiving celebration that historically included the presentation of newly woven hemp cloth to the deity, now continued symbolically.
• Hatsumode (New Year Visit, January 1-3) — The shrine receives over 250,000 visitors during the first three days of the year, making it Tokushima’s most visited shrine during this period.

Late April offers the most compelling experience: wisteria vines trained along wooden trellises throughout the grounds bloom in cascades of purple, their fragrance mixing with the camphor scent from the ancient trees. The spring festival coincides with this blooming period. Autumn, particularly mid-November, provides a quieter alternative when the maple trees lining the approach path turn crimson and the mountain forest becomes visible through bare branches. Weekday mornings year-round see few visitors, allowing intimate contemplation of the camphor trees. Avoid Golden Week (late April-early May) when crowds make approach to the main hall difficult.