Enshrines Emperor Jinmu, traditionally the first emperor of Japan and revered as the founder of the nation.

Minakata Kumagusu (1867-1941), the world-renowned naturalist and folklorist who led opposition to the Meiji shrine consolidation policy, documented shrines in the Shingu area including Watarigozen in his writings and petitions. Arguing for the ecological value of shrine forests and the irreplaceable folkloric heritage embedded in local shrines, Kumagusu petitioned the government against the cultural and biological losses caused by consolidation. His campaign is now recognized as a founding moment of Japanese environmental thought, and Watarigozen Shrine is among the shrines whose history he helped bring to light.