Southwest Fukui · ObamaNo.1320★★Open in map →

Wakasahiko and Wakasahime Shrines

— The paired first-rank shrines of old Wakasa

historyOff the trail — and worth it

The two shrines that together rank first in the old province of Wakasa, one for a god and one for his wife. The lower shrine is a short walk from the station, and a great cedar rises behind its gates.

FromTsuruga Station
~1 hr 10 minJR Obama Line, about hourly
Get off atHigashi-Obama Station (JR Obama Line)
On foot
Wakasahiko and Wakasahime Shrines

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is the old province's highest-ranked shrine, documented and signposted, so it is not a hidden place. It is simply off the usual Obama route. The lower shrine stands in Onyu, near Higashi-Obama Station, one stop before Obama on the line, and a trip built around the harbour town can pass it by.

Where it is

28 more notes in Fukui · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

Zuishinmon gatethe first of three buildings set in one line, designated with the inner gate and main hall by the prefecture
Inner gatethe shinmon, standing square in front of the main hall
Main hall and the Sennen-sugithe fenced main hall, with Onyu's great cedar rising inside the same fence
Wakasahiko Shrine (upper shrine)the husband's shrine further south, with no shrine office on site

How to actually get there

Tsuruga Station → Higashi-Obama Station (JR Obama Line, about an hour).
Higashi-Obama Station → Wakasahime Shrine, the lower shrine (walk south, about 10 min).
Go through the outer gate to the inner gate, and look past it to the main hall and the great cedar.
If you have time, continue south to Wakasahiko Shrine, the upper shrine (about 1.4 km away in a straight line).

JR Obama Line from Tsuruga: Tsuruga Station →(JR Obama Line)→ Higashi-Obama Station, about an hour, then about 10 minutes on foot to the lower shrine. Higashi-Obama is the stop before Obama. Trains run roughly once an hour, with gaps of two hours or more around midday, so check the timetable before you set out.
Back from Higashi-Obama Station: Walk back to Higashi-Obama Station and take the Obama Line toward Tsuruga. Trains thin out in the evening; in the timetable checked, the last one toward Tsuruga left at 20:25. From Tsuruga, the Hokuriku Shinkansen runs to Kanazawa and Tokyo, and limited express trains run to Osaka.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Wakasahiko Jinja is the ichinomiya, the first-ranked shrine, of the old province of Wakasa, and it is made up of two shrines. The upper shrine enshrines Hikohohodemi, known in myth as Yamasachihiko. The lower shrine enshrines his wife Toyotamahime, also called Otohime. Both are prayed to for safe voyages and good catches, and the lower shrine also for farming, safe childbirth and raising children. At the lower shrine the outer gate, the inner gate and the main hall stand in a single line. Inside the fence around the main hall rises the Sennen-sugi of Onyu, a cedar about 40 metres tall. The upper shrine stands about 1.4 km to the south in a straight line.

How to enjoy it

From Higashi-Obama Station the lower shrine is about a ten-minute walk. Pass through the outer gate, follow the line of gates toward the main hall, and look up for the cedar above the fence. If you have time, walk on south to the upper shrine. Only the lower shrine has a shrine office, so that is the place for anything that needs staff.

Background & history

The upper shrine is recorded as having been settled on its present site in 715, and the lower shrine followed in 721, giving the pair some 1,300 years of history. Before the war they held the rank of a national shrine. The main hall, inner gate and outer gate of each shrine are cultural properties designated by Fukui Prefecture, and the woods around the lower shrine are a prefectural natural monument. Both shrines belong to the Japan Heritage story of Wakasa as a provider of food to the capital. In 2025 the deity of the upper shrine, moved to the lower shrine during roof repairs, was returned to its main hall.

Before you go

Cash: Fukui Prefecture's official travel guide lists the lower shrine as free to visit. Carry a little cash for offerings and amulets.
Good to know: Visiting hours are not listed on the official or tourism sites. There is no car park at the lower shrine. The shrine has been raising funds to repair the roofs of its gates, so check its official site for any work in progress.
Another way: From Kyoto, take the JR Kosei Line to Omi-Imazu and the JR Bus Jakko Line to Obama Station, then ride the Obama Line one stop back toward Tsuruga to Higashi-Obama.
After you get off: Higashi-Obama Station lies north of the lower shrine. Walk south from the station for about 10 minutes.