Otori Taisha

Ōtori Taisha is the ichinomiya of former Izumi Province, located in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. It serves as the principal shrine (sōhonsha) for Ōtori-type shrines nationwide, enshrining Yamato Takeru no Mikoto — the legendary warrior-prince whose soul, according to tradition, transformed into a white bird after his death and alighted in the sacred forest of Ōtori to found this shrine. Co-enshrined is Ōtori-no-muraji-no-oyagami. The shrine is the only Myōjin Taisha of Izumi Province according to the Engishiki, and was closely linked to prayers for rain and disaster prevention in ancient times. The distinctive Ōtori-zukuri architectural style is considered one of the oldest extant forms of shrine architecture in Japan, second in antiquity only to the Izumo Taisha style. First documented in the national histories in 823 CE, the shrine's current main hall was rebuilt in 1909 following a fire in 1905. Today the shrine hosts the vibrant Tondabayashi Danjiri Festival (October), a boisterous wooden float festival deeply embedded in local culture. Pilgrims and local devotees continue to venerate the shrine as a source of courage, overcoming adversity, and victory in challenges of all kinds.

Otori Taisha is located in Sakai-shi, Nishi-ku, Osaka. The full address is: 1-1-2 Otori Kita-machi, Nishi-ku, Sakai-shi, Osaka.

The enshrined deities are: Yamato Takeru no Mikoto.