Awa Province (Chiba) Ichinomiya
Awa Jinja
安房神社
Awa Jinja is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Awa Province (Chiba), in present-day Chiba. It has a car park (about 100 spaces); the sources we checked do not give a fee. Opening hours end at 16:30 (charms and goshuin). Without a car, a local tourism body gives 1 route from a station (by bus); the station names are listed below. The nearest other ichinomiya is Susaki Jinja, 9.1 km to the north-west in a straight line.
Getting there
千葉県館山市大神宮589
The address is given in Japanese on purpose. Show it to a taxi driver, or copy it into a car navigation system — an English transliteration will not be recognised.
For a car navigation system
- Phone
- Japanese car navigation searches by phone number. This is the fastest way to enter a destination.
- Coordinates
- Derived from the address down to the street number, via Japan's national mapping agency. Not a survey of the hall itself
- Address
How to rent and drive a car in Japan →
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By train and bus
- From 館山駅JR内房線
- By bus.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
JR内房線館山駅からJRバス神戸経由・安房白浜行きで約20分、安房神社前下車、徒歩約5分
Taken from a local tourism body (安房国一之宮 安房神社｜ちば観光ナビ, checked 2026-10-08). Station and stop names stay in Japanese so you can match them to signs. Fares and timetables are not given — they change.
Parking
It has a car park (about 100 spaces); the sources we checked do not give a fee.
乗用車 約100台。大型バス用の駐車場は「無し」（千葉県公式観光サイト）。料金についての記載は公式・県公式のいずれにも見当たらず、無料か有料かは未確認。
The note above is in Japanese; it usually records dates when the car park is closed, and the fee.
Shrine office hours
Opening hours end at 16:30 (charms and goshuin).
The full note from the source, in Japanese:
8:30-16:30（神符守札の授与・御朱印。館山市観光協会）※千葉県公式観光サイトは 8:30-17:00 と記載しており食い違いがある。御祈祷・水取り・砂取りは 9:00-16:00
Closing times of every ichinomiya, earliest first →
Visiting the 4 ichinomiya in Chiba in one day? Work out an order that reaches each office before it closes →
History in brief
- Founding
- Tradition says Ame-no-Tomi no Mikoto built the shrine to honor his ancestor Ame-no-Futodama no Mikoto when he came from Awa to settle the land.
Summarised from a local tourism body (安房神社｜まるごとe! ちば, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Amenofutodama-no-Mikoto 天太玉命 3 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Amenotomi-no-Mikoto 天富命 also enshrined
The Chiba Prefecture tourism site gives Futodama-no-Mikoto as the principal deity, and says Amenotomi-no-Mikoto, who came from Awa in Shikoku to open up the land, built the shrine to honour his ancestor. Amenotomi is enshrined in the lower shrine.
Our English summary of the Japanese description. Spelling as given by the prefectural shrine office or local authority.
Goshuin (shrine seal)
- Available
- Yes
- Hours
- 8:30-16:30
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Susaki Jinja, about 9.1 km to the north-west in a straight line, in the same province. After that come Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (52 km north-west) and Samukawa Jinja (66 km north-west).
Straight-line distances between the shrines, not road distances. Across mountains or water, the drive is much longer.
Why this shrine is called an ichinomiya
Documented by a public source
A public body — the city, the prefecture, or the prefectural shrine office — describes this shrine as the ichinomiya of its province.
Listed on the map published by the Ichinomiya Pilgrimage Association.
Chiba Prefecture’s official tourism site, Chiba Kanko Navi, calls it “Awa Jinja, ichinomiya of Awa Province”.
- https://maruchiba.jp/spot/detail_10587.html (checked 2026-09-09)
- 全国一の宮巡拝会『全国一の宮神社所在地』（平成30年5月・改訂版 第4版） (checked 2026-09-09)
More on how the shrines of this province relate to one another is on the Awa Province (Chiba) page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Awa Province (Chiba) (Tōkaidō)
- Prefecture
- Chiba
- Engishiki (927)
- Myōjin Taisha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kanpei Taisha
Sources
- https://maruchiba.jp/spot/detail_10587.html (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://tateyamacity.com/archives/317 (checked 2026-09-09)
- http://www.awajinjya.org/ (checked 2026-09-10)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.