Awa Province (Tokushima) Ichinomiya
Oasahiko Jinja
大麻比古神社
Oasahiko Jinja is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Awa Province (Tokushima), in present-day Tokushima. It has a car park (about 1000 spaces), free. Opening hours end at 16:30 (charm counter). Without a car, a local tourism body gives 1 route from a station (on foot), one of them a walk of 20 min; the station names are listed below. Its principal annual festival (reisai) falls on November 1 every year. The nearest other ichinomiya is Yakurahime Jinja, 13 km to the south in a straight line.
Getting there
徳島県鳴門市大麻町板東字広塚 13
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.
Before you drive here
There is a notice about reaching this shrine by car — it may concern road closures at New Year, vehicle size limits, which way you can turn into the car park, or satellite navigation giving the wrong place. The Japanese text reads:
初詣期間は周辺道路が交通規制されます。公式の交通規制案内図によると、規制は12月31日午後10時〜1月1日午後7時、1月2・3日は午前9時〜午後6時、参道の一部区間は1月5日までの毎日午前9時〜午後6時。「祓川橋から南方100ｍの道路」と「祓川橋南詰から第3駐車場までの道路」は車両通行禁止となり、霊山寺前から神社駐車場への通り抜けもできません。規制中は東方からは平草三叉路経由、西方からは板東谷橋西詰交差点経由で進入します（現場警察官の指示でコースが変わる場合あり）。
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 板東駅JR高徳線
- On foot, 20 min.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
JR高徳線「板東駅」下車→徒歩20分／高速バス停留所「鳴門西」→徒歩約20分
Taken from a local tourism body (大麻比古神社｜阿波ナビ, 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 1000 spaces), free.
This routes you to the car park, not to the hall. From this car park to the hall is about 320 m in a straight line (the walk is longer).
第1〜第3駐車場があり、無料。全体で約1,000台（公式サイト「所在地・ご連絡先」）。初詣期間は約200台を増設。第1駐車場が参道に最も近い。
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 (charm counter).
The full note from the source, in Japanese:
開門 3〜11月 6:00-17:00／12〜2月 6:30-16:30。神符守札授与 7:30-16:30。ご祈祷受付 9:00-16:00（30分間隔）
Closing times of every ichinomiya, earliest first →
Visiting the 4 ichinomiya in Tokushima in one day? Work out an order that reaches each office before it closes →
History in brief
- Founding
- According to the shrine's tradition, in Emperor Jimmu's reign Ame-no-Tomi-no-Mikoto planted hemp in Awa and enshrined Ame-no-Futotama-no-Mikoto here.
- History
- According to tradition, Sarutahiko was first enshrined on the peak of Mount Oasa and later enshrined together at the main shrine.
Summarised from the shrine's own website (由緒書, 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（大麻比古命） 3 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Sarutahiko-no-Okami 猿田彦命 4 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
Spelling as given by the prefectural shrine office or local authority.
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
11月1日 例祭
source
Other festivals and rituals
- 奥宮例祭
- 旧暦7月18日
old-calendar date - 神迎祭
- 旧正月（3日間）
old-calendar date - 大御神楽祭 湯立神楽
- 旧暦3月12日
old-calendar date - 神火大祭
- 2月の節分当日
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Yakurahime Jinja, about 13 km to the south in a straight line, in the same province. After that come Ichinomiya Jinja (15 km south) and Kami Ichinomiya Oawa Jinja (26 km south-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.
The shrine’s own website carries the words “Awa no Kuni Ichinomiya Oasahiko Jinja”, and the Naruto Uzushio Tourism Association says it “has long been known familiarly as Ōasa-sama, as the ichinomiya of Awa Province”. No source document is cited.
- https://www.naruto-kankou.jp/spot/detail/150 (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 (Tokushima) page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Awa Province (Tokushima) (Nankaidō)
- Prefecture
- Tokushima
- Engishiki (927)
- Myōjin Taisha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kokuhei Chūsha
Sources
- https://www.naruto-kankou.jp/spot/detail/150 (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://naruto-tourism.jp/jp/spot/15837 (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.ooasahikojinja.jp/access/ (checked 2026-09-10)
- https://www.ooasahikojinja.jp/img/shogatsu2.pdf (checked 2026-09-10)
- https://www.awanavi.jp/archives/spot/2762 (checked 2026-09-10)
- https://www.ooasahikojinja.jp/yuisho/ (checked 2026-09-10)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.