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Overview
Sugimori Hachimansha is a Shinto shrine in the Akasaka district of Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture. It enshrines Amaterasu-Ōmikami, Homutawake-no-Mikoto (Emperor Ōjin), Ōsazaki-no-Mikoto (Emperor Nintoku) and Okinaga-Tarashi-hime-no-Mikoto (Empress Jingū). Standing quietly in Akasaka, once a prosperous post town on the old Tōkaidō highway, it has watched over the community as its guardian shrine. True to its name, which evokes a forest of cedars, the grounds are wrapped in greenery and offer a calm setting where visitors can sense the atmosphere of the historic post road.
Highlights
- ●A hall enshrining four deities: Amaterasu, Emperor Ōjin, Emperor Nintoku and Empress Jingū
- ●Calm grounds wrapped in the greenery its “cedar forest” name evokes
- ●A historic setting bearing traces of Akasaka-juku on the old Tōkaidō
- ●The atmosphere of a tutelary shrine long loved as the community's guardian
History
Sugimori Hachimansha follows the Hachiman tradition of worship, centered on Emperor Ōjin (Homutawake-no-Mikoto) and also enshrining Amaterasu-Ōmikami, Emperor Nintoku (Ōsazaki-no-Mikoto) and Empress Jingū (Okinaga-Tarashi-hime-no-Mikoto). The Hachiman deity has long been revered across Japan as a god of martial fortune and local protection, and this shrine too has been honored as the tutelary shrine rooted in the village of Akasaka. As detailed accounts of its founding rest largely with shrine tradition and local records, travelers seeking a precise history are encouraged to check the on-site notices or official information.
Access
The shrine is located in the Akasaka district of Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture (roughly 34.86°N, 137.31°E). This corresponds to the area of the former Akasaka-juku on the old Tōkaidō, and Meiden-Akasaka Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line is among the nearest access points. It is close to central Toyokawa and the Otowa and Goyu areas, and some visitors combine it with a walk along the old highway. Please confirm visiting hours and detailed access with official sources in advance.
Best season
The shrine can be visited year-round, but the deepening green of spring and early summer and the coloring foliage of autumn best suit the calm, cedar-grove atmosphere its name suggests. During the New Year's first visit and local festivals it can grow lively with parishioners, offering a different face from a quiet weekday visit. Choosing a mild, settled day lets you linger and pair the visit with a stroll through the former post town.
Map
34.8597, 137.3053 · Wikidata
Suggested itinerary
- 1Walk along the old Tōkaidō from Meiden-Akasaka Station into the Akasaka townscape
- 2Visit Sugimori Hachimansha and offer prayers to its four enshrined deities
- 3Wander the green grounds and sense the vestiges of the old post town
- 4Extend the walk along the old highway toward the Goyu and Otowa areas
Did you know?
💡 Akasaka, where the shrine stands, is a historic place that flourished in the Edo period as Akasaka-juku, one of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. Together with the neighboring Goyu-juku it was a well-known point on the highway, and the atmosphere of that old road survives to this day. Enshrining four deities, Sugimori Hachimansha has walked alongside the life of the post town as its guardian and conveys the area's history to the present.
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