多賀神社

Wakayama City, Wakayama

Taga Shrine

多賀神社

A Shrine Drawing Attention for Its Distinctive Goshuin Designs

Located near Wakayama Castle, "Taga Shrine" is affectionately known as 'O-Taga-san.' Its principal enshrined deities are Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, regarded as the source of life. The shrine is revered for blessings of longevity, matchmaking, good fortune, and prosperity. As it enshrines the "deities of life," many people also visit to have their babies named. The shrine is also known for prayers marking important life milestones, including safe childbirth, omiyamairi (a baby's first shrine visit), and Shichi-Go-San (children's celebrations). The grounds are decorated with beautiful seasonal flowers and pinwheels, while goshuin stamps and amulets featuring a variety of popular designs are especially photogenic.

The shrine enshrines Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, kami regarded as the source of life and revered for blessings associated with longevity and matchmaking.
The shrine enshrines a divided spirit from "Taga Taisha" in Shiga Prefecture, invited here by the lord of the Kishu Domain during the Edo period. After being rebuilt following wartime destruction, the shrine has carried its history forward to the present day.
As a shrine enshrining the "Kami of Life", it is affectionately known to many as "Otaga-san" and is revered for newborn naming, matchmaking, prayers for safe childbirth, and other blessings.

From the Priest!

Priest

Oiwa Kanako

A sixth-generation Shinto priest who has served at "Taga Shrine" since 2014. She works to make the shrine welcoming to people of all ages, promoting its amulets and goshuin stamps and taking part in votive dance performances.

A Quiet Retreat Tucked Away in the City

Although the shrine stands in a corner of an office district, stepping onto the grounds reveals a quiet, refreshing atmosphere. Brightly colored pinwheels and seasonal decorations that change throughout the year are popular with worshippers, and the grounds also make an appealing setting for photos alongside a shrine visit.
Beautiful Goshuin Reflecting the Four Seasons

Colorful goshuin are offered in a wide variety of designs, including monthly variations, seasonal limited editions, foil-stamped and kirie (cut-paper) designs, and wooden goshuin. They add a colorful touch to memories of a shrine visit. The goshuin bear the characters "愛命運縁恩," representing ai (love), inochi (life), un (fortune), en (connections), and on (gratitude)—five words whose initial sounds follow the Japanese vowel sequence a-i-u-e-o. This distinctive feature helps visitors feel a deeper connection with the shrine's principal enshrined deity.
Artistic Amulets Designed to Be Kept Close

Amulets designed to offer comfort and support include the "Musubi Amulet" for forming connections; the "Hana Amulet", carrying wishes for matchmaking, good fortune, health and longevity, and safe childbirth; and the "Pet Happiness Amulet", decorated with a paw-print motif. Also available are the "Lace Amulet" in five colors, ideal for supporting a favorite, and the "Pinwheel Amulet" in seven colors.

Shichi-go-san (Children’s Ceremony)
Miyamairi (Newborn Blessing)
Matchmaking
Cutting Ties
Financial Luck
Business Prosperity
Yakuyoke (Purification)
Health & Well-being
Safe Childbirth
Exam Success
Traffic Safety
Fertility
Performing Arts
Love Fulfillment
Bountiful Harvest
Family Safety
Academic Success
Recovery from Illness

Tracing the past

Origins & Heritage

A Shrine Known as "Otaga-san," Enshrining the "Deity of Life"

Taga Shrine was founded in 1824 when Tokugawa Harutomi, the 10th lord of the Kishu Domain, invited and enshrined divided spirits from "Taga Taisha" in Shiga Prefecture. Its principal enshrined deities are Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto. According to the "Kojiki," an ancient Japanese chronicle, the two are a married pair of deities associated with life who gave birth to the islands of Japan and numerous deities, including Amaterasu Omikami, and are regarded as primordial deities. Affectionately known as "Otaga-san," the shrine is associated with longevity and matchmaking and draws worshippers seeking blessings for naming babies, relationships, safe childbirth, long life, good fortune, and prosperity. The grounds are decorated with pinwheels and seasonal ornaments and also include "Konpira Shrine," "Suitengu Shrine," "Tenmei Inari Shrine," and a Dosojin deity associated with marital harmony.

Main hall

Windmills Turning Luck in the Seasonal Breeze

In 1890, the shrine was relocated to its present site, where the Main Sanctuary, other shrine buildings, and shrine office were constructed. These were destroyed in the 1945 Wakayama air raid. Although much of the city was reduced to ruins and Taga Shrine lost its buildings, sacred sword, and other treasures, a torii gate miraculously survived and continues to welcome worshippers today.
The shrine was rebuilt in 1954. Although reduced to roughly one-third of its prewar scale, its associated blessings remained unchanged, and it developed into a shrine visited by worshippers from both the local area and throughout Japan. The verdant grounds are decorated with numerous brightly colored pinwheels at the flower-filled purification basin, approach, and worship hall, creating a fresh and uplifting atmosphere. The pinwheels carry the wish, "May affairs and financial fortune turn smoothly, and may the way ahead remain open". As seasonal breezes pass through the grounds, they begin to spin lightly, adding to the bright atmosphere. Prayer rites marking important stages of life, including miyamairi visits for newborns and prayers for safe childbirth, are conducted in the worship hall.

Love, Life, Fortune, Bonds, and Gratitude

Five Guideposts for Life From the Principal Deity

At "Taga Shrine", Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, deities who govern the life of all things, are enshrined. The shrine presents five important elements represented by these two deities as guideposts for life. The characters "Ai, Inochi, Un, En, On" correspond to the Japanese sounds "a, i, u, e, o". "Ai" means love, the warm feeling from which everything begins. "Inochi" means the life one has been given and the act of living. "Un" refers to the turns of fortune that come one's way. "En" is the mysterious connection between people or between people and things. "On" means gratitude for the love and help one has received. The message is that love gives rise to life, understanding the preciousness of life deepens the meaning of living, and accepting the turns of fortune that come one's way can open new paths. The many forms of support and connection created through en help shape the future, while gratitude for encounters and experiences can lead to a richer and happier life.

Consider the meaning of these words written on the goshuin

Taga Shrine

多賀神社

Address

101 Jubancho, Wakayama City, Wakayama

Access

Car: 10 minutes from Hanwa Expressway Wakayama IC; Train: 15-minute walk from Wakayama Station on the JR Wakayama Line and Wakayamashi Station on the Nankai Main Line; Bus: 2-minute walk from "Wakayama-jo-mae" bus stop on Wakayama Bus routes; Other: 7-minute walk from Wakayama Castle

Website

https://otagasan-wakayama.jp/

TEL

+81-73-422-2086Please let the staff know that you saw this on "Tabiiro."

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