Ushimado Shrine’s roots go back to when the god of the land was worshipped.
It’s a famous shrine that attracts visitors from near and far who come to pray for the well being of their families, better luck, the cleansing of evil influences, traffic safety, and other reasons.
On top of that, this is a place associated with an ancient legend of a fabled princess and a monster called Ushi-oni. It is said that the legendary Empress Jingu came here disguised as a man after her husband, the emperor, died. The monster that appeared was an ogre called Chinrinki.

Legend has it that the ogre’s head formed the small islands of Ushimado, its neck became Kijima Island, its torso became Maejima Island, and its tail became Aojima Island.

All the islands can be seen from the observation deck in Kameyama park near the shrine.

If you walk towards the sea from Ushimado Shrine, then descend and go southwest a little, you can find Tenjin Shrine.
One of the eight picturesque sights in Ushimado, this is a spot that has been selected as one of Japan’s top 100 places to see the sunset.

It’s a very mysterious sunset…