Harima Province Ichinomiya
Iwa Jinja
伊和神社
Iwa Jinja is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Harima Province, in present-day Hyogo. It has a car park (about 180 spaces), free. Without a car, the prefectural shrine association gives 1 route from a station (by bus); the station names are listed below. Its principal annual festival (reisai) falls on October 15–16 every year. The nearest other ichinomiya is Awaga Jinja, 37 km to the north-east in a straight line.
Getting there
兵庫県宍粟市一宮町須行名 407
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
- From OpenStreetMap, as 伊和神社. Not checked on the ground
- Address
How to rent and drive a car in Japan →
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By train and bus
- From 姫路駅JR山陽本線
- By bus.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
JR山陽本線「姫路駅」北口の神姫バスにて林田又は四辻経由にて「山崎バス停」へ(所要約60分) 「山崎バス停」より横山・皆木方面行に乗り換え「一宮伊和神社バス停」下車(所要約30分)
Taken from the prefectural shrine association (兵庫県神社庁「伊和神社」, 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 180 spaces), free.
普通車180台
The note above is in Japanese; it usually records dates when the car park is closed, and the fee.
Visiting the 4 ichinomiya in Hyogo in one day? Work out an order that reaches each office before it closes →
History in brief
- Founding
- According to the shrine's tradition, the deity settled at Iwa after shaping Harima Province, and people built a shrine to worship him.
- History
- According to one legend, after an oracle, plants grew overnight and two large cranes were found sleeping on a stone.
- Founding
- Tradition dates the building of the shrine there to either 144, under Emperor Seimu, or 564, under Emperor Kinmei.
Summarised from the prefectural shrine association (兵庫県神社庁 伊和神社, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Onamuchi-no-Mikoto 大己貴神 17 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto 少彦名神 also enshrined 5 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Shitateruhime-no-Mikoto 下照姫神 also enshrined 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
Spelling as given by the prefectural shrine office or local authority.
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
10月15日(本殿祭)・16日(渡御祭) 例祭
source
Other festivals and rituals
- 風鎮祭(油万灯)
- 8月26日
- 夏祭・宵宮
- 夏祭(7/15)・宵宮(7/14)
- 伊和神社秋季大祭
- 10月15日、16日
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Awaga Jinja, about 37 km to the north-east in a straight line, the ichinomiya of Tajima Province. After that come Izushi Jinja (51 km north-east) and Ube Jinja (52 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
Listed by the pilgrimage association
It appears on the map published by the Ichinomiya Pilgrimage Association. We have not yet checked other primary sources.
- 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 Harima Province page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Harima Province (San'yōdō)
- Prefecture
- Hyogo
- Engishiki (927)
- Myōjin Taisha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kokuhei Chūsha
Sources
- https://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/spot/detail_1042.html (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.hyogo-jinjacho.com/data/6320080.html (checked 2026-09-10)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.