Kakimoto Jinja

Kakimoto Shrine stands at the summit of Hitomaru-yama in Akashi, Hyogo, enshrining the celebrated Man'yoshu poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro as its deity. According to tradition, in 887 (Ninna 3) a monk named Kakusho from Yoryu-ji had a vision of Hitomaro's divine spirit and built a shrine over an ancient burial mound. Long called Hitomaru-san by locals, the shrine received the divine title of Shoshichii Kakimoto Daimyojin by imperial decree in 1723. Revered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and successive lords of Akashi Domain, it also served as an imperial prayer site. With the former rank of prefectural shrine, it continues to be venerated as a deity of waka poetry, scholarship, and safe childbirth.