Zama Tenmangu was founded during the Ōei period (late 14th–early 15th century) by the people of Sagami Province who revered Michizane and enshrined his spirit on this hilltop. Plum trees—evoking his famous farewell poem composed upon exile to Dazaifu—bloom each spring in the precincts. During the Edo period, teachers and pupils of local terakoya schools prayed here for academic success, a tradition that continues to this day.