Nogi Maresuke lived at this residence, and on September 13, 1912, the day of Emperor Meiji's state funeral, he and his wife Shizuko committed ritual suicide by junshi. The former Nogi Residence has been preserved as-is, and the room where they died can still be viewed. His purity as a soldier and loyalty to the Emperor are handed down as the 'Nogi Spirit,' and this shrine was founded the following year in 1923 to honour his memory.