Itako Tenmangu in Itako is worshipped as a shrine of learning enshrining Sugawara Michizane. As the guardian of learning in waterside Itako, it receives a constant stream of students and exam candidates. Plum trees associated with Michizane are planted in the grounds, and white plum blossoms fill the space with fragrance in early spring. In the Edo period, terakoya educators prayed for academic ac…

Itako Tenmangu is traditionally said to have been founded around 1300 (the Shoan era). Enshrining Sugawara Michizane as its deity, it has long been venerated as a god of learning in the waterside town of Itako. During the medieval period, as Itako prospered as a vital hub of water transport via the …