The head shrine of all 3,500 Ebisu shrines in Japan, enshrining Hiruko Okami as Ebisu, god of fishing and commerce. Founded in ancient times as a shrine for the fishing deity, it grew into the head of the nationwide Ebisu cult from the medieval period. The Toka Ebisu festival on January 10 draws over one million worshippers. The famous "Fuku Otoko" lucky man race at dawn that day, in which partici…

The founding date of Nishinomiya Jinja is unknown, but tradition holds that the shrine traces its origins to the age of Empress Jingu. Its enshrined deity, Hiruko Okami—regarded as a god who drifted ashore along the coast—drew early devotion from fishing communities and came to be venerated as Ebisu…