The head shrine of fire-prevention deities across Japan, said to have been founded in 709. The enshrined deity Kagutsuchi no Okami is revered by firefighters, chefs, and manufacturers nationwide. The upper shrine sits atop Mt. Akiha (866 m), crowned by a golden torii visible from afar, while a lower shrine sits at the mountain foot. The Akiha faith spread widely during the Edo period through the n…

The shrine is said to have been founded in 709 (Wadō 2) when the ascetic monk Kashōbō enshrined Kagutsuchi no Okami on Mt. Akiha. Throughout the Heian and Kamakura periods, the site flourished as a sacred ground of mountain worship and Shugendo practice. During the medieval era, it maintained its re…