Hinokuma Kunikakasu Jingu

Hinokuma Jingū and Kunikakasu Jingū are two grand shrines sharing a single precinct in Wakayama City, collectively known as Nichizengu (Day-before-the-Shrine). Hinokuma Jingū enshrines Hinokuma-no-Okami (with the sacred mirror Hikata-no-Kagami), while Kunikakasu Jingū enshrines Kunikakasu-no-Okami (with the Hiboko-no-Kagami). Both mirrors were, according to the Nihon Shoki, cast by Ishikoridome-no-Mikoto alongside the famous Yata-no-Kagami when Amaterasu withdrew into the Amano-Iwato cave. These twin shrines hold an exceptionally rare status: they share the same divine rank as Ise Grand Shrine within the shinkai system, and are designated Moto-Ise (precursors to Ise). Under the pre-modern system they were Kanpei Taisha (first-rank imperial shrines), and they served as ichinomiya of Kii Province. The Kii clan, who received the sacred mirrors from Emperor Jimmu, have served as hereditary custodians since antiquity. The shrine grounds remain deliberately austere and private — interior photography is prohibited — preserving an atmosphere of ancient reverence rare even among Japan's great shrines. Located five minutes from Nichizengu Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway, these twin shrines offer a profound and quietly atmospheric visit just minutes from central Wakayama City.

Hinokuma Kunikakasu Jingu is located in Wakayama-shi, Wakayama. The full address is: 365 Akizuki, Wakayama-shi, Wakayama.

The enshrined deities are: Hinokuma no Okami, Kunikakasu no Okami.