Ise Province Ichinomiya
Tsubaki Okamiyashiro
椿大神社
Tsubaki Okamiyashiro is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Ise Province, in present-day Mie. It has a car park (about 500 spaces), free. Opening hours end at 16:30 (charm counter). Without a car, the shrine's own website gives 2 routes from a station (by bus); the station names are listed below. Its principal annual festival (reisai) falls on October 11 every year. The nearest other ichinomiya is Tsubaki Nakato Jinja, 15 km to the south-east in a straight line.
Getting there
三重県鈴鹿市山本町1871
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:
公式アクセス案内より「新名神鈴鹿ＰＡより２分（スマートインターのため、ＥＴＣ車のみ出入り可能）」。ETC車以外は鈴鹿PAスマートICから出入りできません。
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 近鉄四日市駅
- By bus, about 55 min.
- From JR加佐登駅
- By bus, about 40 min.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
近鉄四日市駅下車 三重交通バスにて椿大神社行き、約55分／JR四日市駅下車 三重交通バスにて椿大神社行き、約1時間／近鉄平田町駅下車 鈴鹿市C-BUSにて椿･平田線、約50分／JR加佐登駅下車 鈴鹿市C-BUSにて椿･平田線、約40分
Taken from the shrine's own website (交通案内 | 椿大神社, 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 500 spaces), free.
公式サイトに「無料駐車場、約500台駐車可能」とあります。境内のどちら側にあるか、第1・第2などの区画の内訳は公式に記載がありません。登山者用駐車場があるという情報は、公式・行政の一次ソースでは確認できませんでした。
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:
8:00-16:30（授与所）／祈祷受付 8:00-16:00
Closing times of every ichinomiya, earliest first →
Visiting the 5 ichinomiya in Mie 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 autumn of the 27th year of Emperor Suinin (3 BC), a hall for Michiwake-no-Ōkami was built here following Yamatohime's oracle.
- Name
- According to the shrine's tradition, in Emperor Nintoku's reign a dream led to the character 'tsubaki' (camellia) being used in its name.
Summarised from the shrine's own website (椿大神社について（御創立の由来）｜椿大神社, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Sarutahiko-no-Okami 猿田彦大神 4 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Ninigi-no-Mikoto 瓊々杵尊 shares the hall 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- 栲幡千々姫命 栲幡千々姫命 shares the hall
- Uzume-no-Mikoto 天之鈿女命 also enshrined 3 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
- Konohanasakuyahime-no-Mikoto 木花咲耶姫命 also enshrined 4 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
The shrine's website says its principal deity is Sarutahiko, an earthly god who lived on the mountains here, with Ninigi and Takuhatachiji-hime in the same hall and Ame-no-Uzume and Konohanasakuya-hime also enshrined.
Our English summary of the Japanese description. Spelling as given by the shrine's own website.
Goshuin (shrine seal)
- Available
- Yes
- Hours
- 8:00-16:30
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
10月11日 本宮秋季例大祭・神幸祭
source
Other festivals and rituals
- 宵祭・献燈まつり
- 10月10日
- 別宮秋季例大祭・還幸祭
- 10月12日
- 粥だめし神事
- 2月21日
- 獅子神御祈祷神事の舞初め式
- 2月11日
- 奥宮春季大祭（入道ヶ嶽山頂）
- 5月12日
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Tsubaki Nakato Jinja, about 15 km to the south-east in a straight line, in the same province. After that come Aekuni Jinja (33 km south-west) and Nangu Taisha (44 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
Claimed by the shrine
The shrine itself uses the title, but does not name the historical document it rests on.
Listed on the map published by the Ichinomiya Pilgrimage Association.
The shrine’s own website presents it as “Tsubaki Okamiyashiro, Sarutahiko Daihongu, ichinomiya of Ise Province.” No historical source for the title is given.
- https://tsubaki.or.jp/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://tsubaki.or.jp/about/ (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 Ise Province page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Ise Province (Tōkaidō)
- Prefecture
- Mie
- Engishiki (927)
- Shōsha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kensha
Sources
- https://tsubaki.or.jp/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://tsubaki.or.jp/about/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://tsubaki.or.jp/access/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://tsubaki.or.jp/sanpai/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.kankomie.or.jp/spot/2917 (checked 2026-09-10)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.