4.Nakatsuura Tenmangu Shrine
Tenmansha Shrine atop stone steps
watching over the lives of the coast-dwellers
Nakatsuura is a community about 4 km north of the city center. With houses nestled between the hills and the sea, this scene has the typical atmosphere of a seaside village . Standing by this bayside road are torii gates reinforced with metal. Beyond lie two shrines, the first, Ebisu-jinja Shrine, and the one at the top of the stone steps, Nakatsuura Tenmangu Shrine. This Tenmansha Shrine was built in 1892, and records show a Jizo-do Hall stood there previously. Standing atop a hill looking out over the sea and the entire community, true to name, this shrine is the guardian deity for Nakatsuura. It protects against disasters coming from the sea, and provides the people with the fruits of the sea. We can see here faith rooted in everyday life.
Memorial towers to various animals can be seen around Usuki City. Here at Ebisu-jinja Shrine is a tortoise tombstone.
In the grounds of Nakatsuura Tenmansha Shrine stands a monument to the Santa Ana, a Spanish ship that washed ashore in the area in 1609.
- Address
- Nakatsuura, Usuki City, Oita Prefecture
- TEL
- None
- Parking
- In front of the torii in the fishing port site
- Stamp location
- Beside the tortoise memorial tower
- Restrooms
- None(Use the AMABE community Center)