Atop Mt. Hiromine (300 m) northwest of Himeji, regarded as the head shrine of the national Gozu Tenno and Susanoo faith. Tradition holds it was founded in Emperor Shomu's reign by the scholar Kibi no Makibi. The Muromachi-period main hall and worship hall are nationally designated Important Cultural Properties, and the summit views attract pilgrims from across western Japan.

According to tradition, Hiromine Jinja was founded in 749 CE when Kibi Makibi, the renowned scholar and envoy to Tang China, enshrined Gozu Tenno (the deity of pestilence prevention) on Mount Hiromine in Harima Province. During the Heian period, the shrine gained the reverence of the imperial court …