Sumiyoshi Taisha

Sumiyoshi Taisha has long been cherished as the Ichinomiya, the leading shrine, of the old Settsu Province, and it is the head shrine of about 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines across Japan. Its deities are the three gods Sokotsutsunoo, Nakatsutsunoo and Uwatsutsunoo, who emerged from the sea when the god Izanagi purified himself there, together with Empress Jingu. According to the shrine's tradition, the deities were enshrined here in the 11th year of Empress Jingu's regency, given as the year 211, following an oracle from the Sumiyoshi gods. After Emperor Nintoku opened the port of Suminoe, they were revered as guardians of sea voyages, protecting the envoys sent to Sui and Tang China.

The National Treasures are the four main sanctuaries, from the First to the Fourth Hall. All of them were built in 1810, the 7th year of the Bunka era in the Edo period, and they were designated National Treasures in 1953. The shrine's chronology records that its buildings burned in the great fire of 1802 and that the deities were moved into the new halls in 1810. The style of the sanctuaries is called Sumiyoshi-zukuri, and it is regarded as one of the oldest forms of shrine architecture.

A Sumiyoshi-zukuri hall has a gabled roof covered in cypress bark, with the entrance on the gable end, so that the end of the roof faces the front. The interior is divided into an outer and an inner chamber, and there is no surrounding corridor. The pillars are painted vermilion, the board walls are coated in white gofun made from ground shells, and gilded metal fittings set off the colors. It has also been pointed out that the floor plan resembles the Daijokyu, the halls built for the enthronement rite of the Daijosai.

Pay attention to how the four halls are arranged as well. All of the sanctuaries face west, toward Osaka Bay; the First, Second and Third Halls stand in a single line, one behind another, while the Third and Fourth Halls stand side by side. The shrine likens this layout to a fleet of ships sailing across the open sea. Sumiyoshi Taisha has carried out a rebuilding and renewal ceremony every 20 years since the Nara period, and the earliest record of one dates from 749. The cycle was broken for more than half a century during the Warring States period, but in 2011, marking 1,800 years since the founding, the 49th renewal was held, including the repainting of the National Treasure halls.

At the front of the approach, the Sorihashi, or Drum Bridge, arches about 20 meters long at a maximum slope of about 48 degrees. Its present stone piers are said to have been donated in the Keicho era by Yodo-dono, praying for the healthy growth of her son Toyotomi Hideyori. Goshogozen, south of the First Hall, is said to be the spot where the gods were first worshipped when the shrine was founded. The Rice Planting Ritual on June 14 is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and the Sumiyoshi Festival is held from Marine Day in July to August 1. The shrine is right next to Sumiyoshi-toriimae Station on the Hankai Line.