Kunitama Shrine

Kunitama Shrine

Kunitama Shrine (國魂神社) is located in Iwaki City, in the coastal area of Fukushima. 

Three deities are enshrined at Kunitama Shrine: Okuninushi (the god of nation-building, said to be the founder of Japan); Suserihime-no-Mikoto (the wife of Okuninushi) and Shohikono. 

The shrine is said to have been built in the year 806, and was renovated in 1942. The temple bell was designated as a tangible cultural property of the city of Iwaki in 1982. There is also a preserved cedar tree.

Several events are celebrated in the shrine, such as a New Year’s Day Festival, a Rice Planting Festival, and other prayer festivals. During the summer, the shrine is beautifully decorated with colorful wind chimes. 

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttps://kunitamajinjya.com/(Japanese)
Contact

Kunitama Shrine
(+81) 0246-65-2384

Best SeasonAll Year
Opening Hours

Opening hours: 6:00-16:30 (Shrine office hours: 8:30-16:00)

Parking20 cars
Access Details
Access72-Baba Kubota Nakosomachi, Fukushima Pref. 9790141
View directions
Getting there

By Car: 5 minutes by car from the Joban Expressway Iwaki Nakoso IC

10 minutes by taxi from the JR Joban Line Nakoso Station

Useful Links

2 Days in Iwaki

Misaki Park

Shioyazaki Lighthouse

Nearby

The World Glassware Hall
Gourmet & Shopping

Full House Book Cafe

Full House is a stylish bookstore and cafe run by the critically-acclaimed novelist Yu Miri. It is located near the JR Odaka Station in Minamisoma City, in the coastal area of Fukushima prefecture.Full House is located on the ground floor of a refurbished house. The interior is wooden and elegant, and there is a selection of books in Japanese chosen by the author. The cafe serves meals like pasta and doria, as well as desserts and drinks with seasonal options.Yu Miri is famously known for her novel Tokyo Ueno Station (translated into English by Morgan Giles), which won the U.S. National Book Award in the Translated Literature category in 2019.Following 3.11, Ms. Miri has worked extensively to communicate the stories of residents of evacuated towns and villages in Fukushima’s coastal area, and has been living in Minamisoma City since 2015.When Ms. Miri moved to Minamisoma, there were no other bookstores open in the area —the few bookstores that had been there before 3.11 had closed following the evacuation—, so she decided to open her own in 2018, and named it ‘Full House’ after one of her novels.But something was missing. She quickly realized that people who traveled all the way to visit the store wanted to sit down with a warm drink, and there weren’t many restaurants or cafes nearby yet, so she decided to turn Full House into a book cafe the following year.Today, Full House is a lively and cozy hub where locals and visitors can bond over their love of coffee and literature.
The World Glassware Hall
Nature & Scenery

Nakakamado Maple Tree

Nakakamado is a very uniquely-shaped maple tree. This incredible tree – designated as a Natural Monument – looks like an open umbrella, and has 3 m of roots that protrude out of the ground. If visiting during autumn-leaf season, it’s best to plan your trip for mid to late-November. That being said, Nakakamado can be enjoyed through each of the four seasons – visitors can appreciate the fresh green leaves that cover it in spring, and the very unusual shape of the branches after the autumn leaves fall.  
Discover Coastal Area

You might also like

Soma Nakamura Shrine
History & Culture

Soma Nakamura Shrine

Soma Nakamura Shrine, long revered for enshrining the patron deity of the Soma clan, is built on a small hill in the western area of the Nakamura Castle grounds by Baryo Park.The shrine was erected in 1643 by Soma Yoshitsune, the 18th head of the Soma family.The main shrine is a an example of Gongen Shinto architecture, in which the main hall and worship hall are connected by a passageway, and the lacquer, painting, and metal fixtures are authentic representations of its Kan'ei era construction.The shrine was designated as a national important cultural property in 1984.
Yamatsumi Shrine
History & Culture

Yamatsumi Shrine

Deep in Iitate Village on Mt. Toratori, Yamatsumi Shrine is the rare Japanese shrine based on wolves, instead of the more common foxes or 'lion dog' shisas. The ceiling of the main building, layered with dozens of traditional paintings of wolves, was damaged in a fire in 2013 but was faithfully repainted by students from the Tokyo University of the Arts utilising old photos.This is a good spot for buying an omamori good luck charm from a vending machine, or reading your fortune - there are both fortunes for general luck and for one's love life, at 50 yen and 100 yen respectively.There is ample parking near the shrine and toilets on site.
Bentenjima
History & Culture

Bentenjima

In a crescent shaped cove separated from the mainland on the small island known as Bentenjima Island, you will find the mysterious Bentenjima Shrine. The vermillion painted tori gate stands out against the jagged stone and the powerful waves. It is believed that the shrine was land based until an earthquake that occurred in 1410 resulted in the formation of this jagged rock island. The construction date of the original shrine is unknown. The island is also known as Wanigafuchi because, according to legend, a creature known as a “wanizame” (crocodile shark) lived on the island. Half crocodile, half shark, this creature can be seen in many old Japanese paintings. The creature may have been believed to cause the swirling water and violent waves that crashed against the rocks, sometimes resulting in people getting swept into the water. Another legend suggests that the wanizame once kidnapped a young woman from Iwaki who had wandered out to explore the island.This coast is lined with small round pebbles that shine when the water hits them. However, do not take any of these pebbles home, as legend says that anyone who takes pebbles home from this coast will suffer from eye disease. This area was once a very popular destination for tourists and the Iwaki city website linked below features many photos. Although the page is in Japanese, it's viewable using the translation function on web browsers.Hattachi-Yakushi Temple is located near the shrine and is worth visiting, but please do not park there while accessing Bentenjima as it is disrespectful to the temple monks and patrons.
View All
Top