Satsuma Province Ichinomiya
Hirakiki Jinja
枚聞神社
Hirakiki Jinja is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Satsuma Province, in present-day Kagoshima. It has a car park (about 50 spaces), free. Without a car, a local tourism body gives 1 route from a station (on foot), one of them a walk of about 10 min; the station names are listed below. Its principal annual festival (reisai) falls on October 15 every year. We found 1 entry for the shrine in Japan’s national database of designated cultural properties. The nearest other ichinomiya is Kagoshima Jingu, 64 km to the north in a straight line.
Getting there
鹿児島県指宿市開聞十町 1366
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 開聞駅JR
- On foot, about 10 min.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
ＪＲ開聞駅から徒歩約10分
Taken from a local tourism body (枚聞（ひらきき）神社 | 【公式】鹿児島県観光サイト かごしまの旅, 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 50 spaces), free.
駐車場50台、無料（指宿市役所観光課・指宿市観光協会が運営する公式観光サイト）。位置の説明は公式に記載がありません。
The note above is in Japanese; it usually records dates when the car park is closed, and the fee.
Visiting the 3 ichinomiya in Kagoshima in one day? Work out an order that reaches each office before it closes →
History in brief
- Founding
- According to the shrine's tradition, it was founded in the age of the gods.
- Founding
- The shrine's origin record gives its founding as 708.
- History
- In the seventh month of Jōgan 16, after Mt. Kaimon erupted, the court granted the shrine 2,000 households to calm the deity.
- Buildings
- After the Shimazu arrived, the halls were rebuilt in Shōji 2, and successive lords repaired or rebuilt them more than ten times.
Summarised from the prefectural shrine association (枚聞神社｜鹿児島県神社庁, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Amaterasu-Okami 大日霎貴命 10 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Masakaakatsukachihayahiamenoshihomimi-no-Mikoto 天之忍穂耳命 4 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Amenohohi-no-Mikoto 天之穂日命
- Amatsuhikone-no-Mikoto 天津彦根命
- Ikutsuhikone-no-Mikoto 活津彦根命
- Kumanunokusuhi-no-Mikoto 熊野樟日命
- Tagorihime-no-Mikoto 多紀理毘賣命 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Sayorihime-no-Mikoto 狭依毘賣命 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Tagitsuhime-no-Mikoto 多岐都比賣命 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
Spelling as given by the prefectural shrine office or local authority.
Nationally designated cultural properties
- 松梅蒔絵櫛笥〈附属品竝目録共／〉
- Important Cultural Property
Source: the national register. All of them together →
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
十月十五日(同十四～十六日ホゼ祭) 例祭（ホゼ祭）
source
Other festivals and rituals
- 神舞奉納
- 十月十四日
- 御神幸祭
- 十月十六日
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Kagoshima Jingu, about 64 km to the north in a straight line, the ichinomiya of Osumi Province. After that come Nitta Jinja (73 km north) and Yaku Jinja (87 km south).
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.
The Kagoshima Prefectural Shrine Agency says that “the Engishiki records it as Hirakiki Jinja of Ei District, Satsuma Province” and that it has “long been the ichinomiya of Satsuma Province, receiving the deep reverence of the imperial court generation after generation”. Ibusuki City also calls it “the ichinomiya of Satsuma Province”.
- https://www.kagojinjacho.or.jp/shrine-search/area-nansatsu/指宿市/1110/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.city.ibusuki.lg.jp/marugoto/area/hirakikijinjya/ (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 Satsuma Province page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Satsuma Province (Saikaidō)
- Prefecture
- Kagoshima
- Engishiki (927)
- Shōsha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kokuhei Shōsha
Sources
- https://www.kagojinjacho.or.jp/shrine-search/area-nansatsu/指宿市/1110/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.city.ibusuki.lg.jp/marugoto/area/hirakikijinjya/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.ibusuki.or.jp/tourism/view/hirakikishrine/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.kagoshima-kankou.com/guide/10701 (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.kagojinjacho.or.jp/shrine-search/area-nansatsu/%E6%8C%87%E5%AE%BF%E5%B8%82/1110/ (checked 2026-09-10)
- https://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/suisuinavi/18618.html (checked 2026-10-29)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.