Otayama Shrine

Otasan Shrine, located in the Taisei area of Setana Town, Hokkaido, is said to have been founded during the Kakitsu era (1441-1443). In 1454, Takeda Nobuhiro, the ancestor of the Matsumae clan, landed at Ota and received the title of Ota Daigongen for the deity, establishing a tradition of veneration for maritime safety. During the Kanbun era (1660s), the monk Enku visited and carved many Buddhist statues here. The westernmost shrine on the Hokkaido mainland and one of the five great sacred sites of southern Hokkaido, it is renowned for its extremely steep approach requiring ropes to ascend the final cliff to the main hall.