The chief tutelary shrine of Sano City, dedicated to Homuda Wake no Mikoto (Emperor Ojin). Founded, according to tradition, in the Heian period, the shrine received the patronage of the Sano clan and became the center of warrior faith in the southern Shimotsuke region. As a shrine to Hachiman, guardian deity of the Minamoto clan, it has a long history of samurai from Sano offering prayers for mart…

The exact founding date of Sano Hachimangu is unknown, but tradition holds that the shrine dates back to the Heian period (794–1185). It enshrines Homudawake no Mikoto, also known as Emperor Ojin, the deity of Hachiman who was revered as the guardian god of the Minamoto clan and widely worshipped by…