Chiba south · TateyamaNo.1277★★Open in map →

Awa Shrine

historyOff the trail — and worth it

The ichinomiya, or head shrine, of the old province of Awa, at the foot of Mount Azuchi near the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula. Its main deity is honoured as the ancestral god of all Japanese industry.

FromTateyama Station
~20 minJR Bus from Tateyama Stn
Get off atAwa Jinja-mae (JR Bus Kanto)
On foot
Awa Shrine

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is not a hidden spot: it is the head shrine of the former Awa Province, and worshippers come from across the Kanto region. What sets it apart is the journey. No railway reaches it, so the last stretch is always a local bus or a drive.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Itsukushima-shaSaigen Jiro / Public domain

Cherry-lined approacha straight avenue of Somei-Yoshino cherries leading from the white torii toward the shrine buildings
Shimo-no-miyathe lower shrine for Ame-no-Tomi, the pioneer of the Boso Peninsula in shrine legend
Itsukushima-shaa small sea-goddess shrine cut into the sea-worn rock in front of the worship hall
Kami-no-miya main hallthe shinmei-style main hall roofed in cypress bark, built in the same style as Ise Jingu

How to actually get there

Tokyo Station (Yaesu South Exit) → Tateyama Station by the Boso Nanohana express bus (JR Bus Kanto).
Tateyama Station → Awa Jinja-mae by JR Bus Kanto local bus bound for Awa-Shirahama via Kanbe (~20 min).
Walk south from the stop to the white torii and along the cherry-lined approach.
Visit the Shimo-no-miya, the Itsukushima rock shrine and the main hall, then catch the bus back from the same stop.

JR Bus from Tateyama Station: From Tateyama Station, take the JR Bus Kanto local bus on the Minami-Boso Main Line bound for Awa-Shirahama via Kanbe, and get off at Awa Jinja-mae, about 20 minutes. To reach Tateyama from Tokyo, the Boso Nanohana express bus runs from Tokyo Station's Yaesu South Exit to Tateyama Station. Check times on the JR Bus Kanto timetable.
Bus back to Tateyama Station: Take a Tateyama Station bus from the Awa Jinja-mae stop. Check the return times at the stop or on the JR Bus Kanto timetable before you walk up to the shrine.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Awa Shrine sits at the foot of the wooded Mount Azuchi in southern Tateyama. A white torii opens onto a straight approach lined with cherry trees. In front of the worship hall lies a great sea-worn rock, with a small shrine to the sea goddess Ichikishimahime cut into it. The main hall, the Kami-no-miya, honours Ame-no-Futodama, ancestral god of the Inbe priestly clan. Five Inbe gods linked to weaving, papermaking, building and metalwork share the hall with him. A separate lower shrine, the Shimo-no-miya, holds his grandson Ame-no-Tomi. The sacred maki tree in the grounds is put at about 500 years old.

How to enjoy it

Walk the approach slowly, pay your respects to the pioneer god at the Shimo-no-miya, then continue past the rock shrine to the main hall. The cherries along the approach are at their best in early April, when the shrine holds its cherry festival on a Sunday.

Background & history

Shrine tradition says Ame-no-Tomi led part of the Inbe clan by sea from Awa, today's Tokushima, and first enshrined his ancestors on two hills by Mera beach. The province's name is said to come from these settlers, though historians treat the story as legend. The shrine moved to its present site in 717 and appears as a Myojin Taisha in the Heian-period Engishiki register. In the Meiji era it received Kanpei Taisha, the top rank. The main hall dates from 1881. An early 5th-century pottery offering stand was found under the shrine in 1919, and a sea cave found in 1932 held 22 human skeletons.

Before you go

Cash: Amulets, goshuin stamps and prayers are handled at the shrine office. For the bus, JR Bus Kanto sells a smartphone-only one-day ticket valid on its Minami-Boso Main Line and on Nitto Kotsu local routes around Tateyama.
Good to know: As of 1 October 2026, typhoon No. 25 had halted the JR Uchibo Line between Anegasaki and Kisarazu, with at least three months expected before trains resume, and the line between Kisarazu and Awa-Kamogawa was running about half its usual service (JR East). Check JR East and JR Bus Kanto service updates before you set out, and road information if you drive.
Another way: By car, take the Tateyama Expressway and the Futtsu-Tateyama Road to Tomiura IC, then drive south on Route 127 toward Tateyama and Shirahama. The shrine has its own car park.
After you get off: The Awa Jinja-mae stop is on the main road north of the shrine. Walk south toward the wooded hill: the shrine-name stone and white torii are about 460 m from the stop, and the main hall about 720 m (straight-line).