Rikuchu Province Ichinomiya
Komagata Jinja
駒形神社
Komagata Jinja is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Rikuchu Province, in present-day Iwate. It has a car park (about 30 spaces), free. Opening hours end at 16:30 (prayer rites). Without a car, the shrine's own website gives 1 route from a station (on foot), one of them a walk of 10 min; the station names are listed below. Its principal annual festival (reisai) falls on September 19 every year. The nearest other ichinomiya is Shiwahiko Shiogama Jinja, 92 km to the south in a straight line.
Getting there
岩手県奥州市水沢区中上野町1-83
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
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By train and bus
- From 水沢駅JR
- On foot, 10 min.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
JR水沢駅より徒歩10分
Taken from the shrine's own website (駒形神社 公式サイト アクセス, 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 30 spaces), free.
境内駐車場は無料30台だが元日は利用できない。代替として Zプラザアテルイ駐車場(水沢西町1-1、無料・大型3台/乗用車150台)、水沢公園南駐車場(水沢中上野町1-1、有料 24時間まで300円・168台)。初詣期間は水沢公園(元旦のみ 12/31 23:30〜1/1 17:00)とZプラザアテルイ(元旦〜4日)も利用できる
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 (prayer rites).
The full note from the source, in Japanese:
御祈祷 9:30-16:30(随時受付)
History in brief
- Founding
- The shrine says Komagata Ōkami was enshrined on the summit of Mt. Komagatake around 456, in the reign of Emperor Yūryaku.
- Moved
- Long enshrined on the summit of Mt. Komagatake in the Yakeishi range, the shrine moved to its present site in 1903.
Summarised from the shrine's own website (駒形神社について|駒形神社, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Amaterasu-Okami 天照大御神 10 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Amenotokotachi-no-Mikoto 天常立尊
- Kuninosazuchi-no-Mikoto 國狭槌尊
- Masakaakatsukachihayahiamenoshihomimi-no-Mikoto 吾勝尊 4 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Okise-no-Mikoto 置瀬尊
- Hikohohodemi-no-Mikoto 彦火火出見尊 6 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
The shrine's website lists six deities and calls them together Komagata-sama.
Our English summary of the Japanese description. Spelling as given by the shrine's own website.
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
9月19日 駒形神社例祭
source
Other festivals and rituals
- 宵宮祭
- 9月18日
- 駒形神社奉遷記念大祭
- 5月3日
- 子供騎馬武者行列
- 5月3日
- 奥宮登拝祭
- 8月1日~8月2日
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Shiwahiko Shiogama Jinja, about 92 km to the south in a straight line, the ichinomiya of Mutsu Province. After that come Chokaizan Omonoimi Jinja (104 km west) and Chokaizan Omonoimi Jinja (109 km 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 Rikuchu Province page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Rikuchu Province (Shin-Ichinomiya)
- Prefecture
- Iwate
- Engishiki (927)
- Shōsha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kokuhei Shōsha
Sources
- https://komagata.iwate.jp/about/access.html (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://komagata.iwate.jp/about/hatsumoude.html (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://komagata.iwate.jp/about/ (checked 2026-09-10)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.