Chikugo Province Ichinomiya
Kora Taisha
高良大社
Kora Taisha is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Chikugo Province, in present-day Fukuoka. It has a car park (about 300 spaces), free. Without a car, a local tourism body gives 1 route from a station (by taxi); the station names are listed below. Its principal annual festival (reisai) falls on October 9 every year. We found 3 entries for the shrine in Japan’s national database of designated cultural properties. The nearest other ichinomiya is Chiriku Hachimangu, 7.2 km to the north-west in a straight line.
Getting there
福岡県久留米市御井町1番地
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 久留米大学前駅JR久大本線
- By taxi, 15 min.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
JR久大本線「久留米大学前駅」下車、タクシーで15分または徒歩約50分／西鉄バス「御井町」バス停下車 徒歩30分
Taken from a local tourism body (高良大社｜ほとめきの街 久留米, 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 300 spaces), free.
This routes you to the car park, not to the hall. From this car park to the hall is about 60 m in a straight line (the walk is longer). The location is taken from OpenStreetMap and has not been checked on the ground.
山上駐車場に自家用車約300台・バス5台
The note above is in Japanese; it usually records dates when the car park is closed, and the fee.
Visiting the 3 ichinomiya in Fukuoka in one day? Work out an order that reaches each office before it closes →
History in brief
- Founding
- According to tradition, Kora Tamatare-gu was founded in 400, the first year of Emperor Richu.
- Buildings
- The present main sanctuary, offering hall and hall of worship were built by Arima Yoritoshi, third lord of the Kurume domain.
Summarised from a local tourism body (高良大社, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Koratamatare-no-Mikoto 高良玉垂命
- Hachima-no-Kami 八幡大神 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Sumiyoshi-Okami 住吉大神 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
The shrine's website says the main hall enshrines, from the right, Hachiman Ōkami, Kōra Tamatare-no-Mikoto and Sumiyoshi Ōkami, worshipped for protection from misfortune, long life, safe travel and every part of daily life.
Our English summary of the Japanese description. Spelling as given by the shrine's own website.
Nationally designated cultural properties
- 高良大社
-
Important Cultural Property
本殿 桁行三間、梁間三間、一重、入母屋造、こけら葺 幣殿 桁行三間、梁間一間、一重、両下造、こけら葺 拝殿 桁行五間、梁間三間、一重、入母屋造、正面千鳥破風付、向拝三間、軒唐破風付、こけら葺
designated 1972-05-15 · mid-Edo period - 平家物語〈覚一本／〉
- Important Cultural Property
- 高良大社文書（百四十六通）
- Important Cultural Property
Source: the national register. All of them together →
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
10月9日 高良大社例大祭（高良山くんち）
source
Other festivals and rituals
- 川渡祭（へこかきまつり）
- 6月1日・2日
- 高良大社神幸祭
- 50年に1度
- 神生祭（かんあれさい）
- 10月9日 午前零時
- 崇敬会大祭
- 10月10日
- 観月祭
- 10月11日
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Chiriku Hachimangu, about 7.2 km to the north-west in a straight line, the ichinomiya of Hizen Province. After that come Yodohime Jinja (26 km west) and Sumiyoshi Jinja (Chikuzen) (34 km north).
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 Chikugo Province page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Chikugo Province (Saikaidō)
- Prefecture
- Fukuoka
- Engishiki (927)
- Myōjin Taisha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kokuhei Taisha
Sources
- https://welcome-kurume.com/spots/detail/8b8be88c-7e83-4b47-ad84-382e5d64b622 (checked 2026-09-09)
- http://www.kourataisya.or.jp/kourataisya/saiji (checked 2026-09-10)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.