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Shrines & Temples

Religious belief associated with Oniko on Torii gate and Suiko sama have been part of life in Tsugaru County.
Many enshrined Oniko and Suiko sama are also found in Tsuruta.

What is “Oniko”?

Oniko means a demon in Tsugaru dialect. Oniko, enshrined on top of Torii gate, is worshipped in about 30 shrines over 7 cities and towns in northwest Tsugaru County. It is not clear how enshrining Oniko on Torii gate began. It is believed that Oniko were worshipped to stop flooding of Iwaki River, hence all Oniko shrines are located alongside of Iwaki River.

Hachiman-gu (in Sakai)
Location Hachiman-gu (in Sakai)
History 1663
Oniko Red-horned demon god statue, Damaged – no head
Hachiman-gu (Kurumidate)
Location Hachiman-gu (Kurumidate)
History 1873 Sonsha rank
Oniko Yellow-horned demon god statue (w/ Hannya face), Small red-horned and blue-horned demons sit on top of the worship hall.
Kuraokami Shrine (Oki)
Location Kuraokami Shrine (Oki) – Kuraokami no Kami
History 1Built in 1684
Oniko Goriki type stone demon, Stone Torii

What is “Suiko”?

Suiko, also known as Suiko Daimyojin, is the god of water in the figure of goddess of Kappa (supernatural monsters called Yokai) and turtles. The worshipping of Suiko started as a prayer to warn people of the dangers lurking in rivers and lakes. Residents believed that most water related incidents were caused by Kappa. Therefore, residents enshrined Kappa as the water deity in order to stop water related incidents.
Towada Shrine

Inari Shrine (Omaki)

Inari Shrine (Omaki)

Enshrined Deity Ukanomitama no mikoto (deified spirit of rice that controls agriculture and food)
Address 58 Kawase Omaki Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3501

Inari Shrine (Kizutsu)

Inari Shrine (Kizutsu)

Enshrined Deity Ukanomitama no mikoto
Address 56 Shimokakehashi Kizutsu Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3501

Inari Shrine (Kowamaki)

Inari Shrine (Kowamaki)

Enshrined Deity Ukanomitama no mikoto
Address 8 Oshiage Kowamaki Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3502

Inari Shrine (Kameda)

Inari Shrine (Kameda)

Address Aihara Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3503

Kumanogu(Nogi)

Kumanogu (Nogi)

Enshrined Deity Izanami no kami, Izanagi no kami (Wife and husband, the gods who created many islands of Japan), Hayatamanoo no mikoto (the god of war, the god of isolation), Kotosakano okami (The god that appeared in Nihon Shoki. The god that was born from the words Izanagi exchanged with Izanami in Yomi no kuni), Kukurihime no kami (the god of marriage, the god that purify defilement)
Address 114 Nishimatsumushi Nogi Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3532

Kumanogu (Tsuruta)

Kumanogu (Tsuruta)

Address Hayase Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3503

Kuraokami Shrine (Oki)

Kuraokami Shrine (Oki)

Enshrined Deity Kuraokami no Kami: the god of water and dragon), Suiko sama
Address 295 Okada Oki Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3513

Kuraokami Shrine (Yamamichi)

Kuraokami Shrine (Yamamichi)

Address Koizumi Yamamichi Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3515

Kuraokami Shrine (Kitada)

Kuraokami Shrine (Kitada)

Address Kitada Kurumidate Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3523

Shirayamahime Shrine

Shirayamahime Shrine

Enshrined Deity Izanagi no Kami, Izanami no kami, and Kukurihime no Kami
Address 74 Shimotadashi Nogi Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3532

Shinmeigu

Shinmeigu

Enshrined Deity Amaterasu omikami (the ancestor deity of the Imperial family which appeared in the Japanese Mythology)
Address 71 Higashida Tsurudomari Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3522

Shinmei Shrine (Shobukawa)

Shinmei Shrine (Shobukawa)

Address Kawabe Shobukawa Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3521

Shinmei Shrine (Daisho)

Shinmei Shrine (Daisho)

Address Yanagida Daisho Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3525

Hachimangu (Sakai)

sakai

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no mikoto (Emperor Ojin – the god of war)
Address Takada Sakai Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3524

Hachimangu (Kurumidate)

Hachimangu (Kurumidate)

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no mikoto
Address 20 Ikeda Kurumidate Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3523

Hachimangu (Yokoyachi)

Hachimangu (Yokoyachi)

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no mikoto
Address 164 Yatomezaki Yokoyachi Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3511

Hachimangu (Serazawa)

Hachimangu (Serazawa)

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no mikoto
Address 3 Nagata Serazawa Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3512

Hachimangu (Tsuruta)

Hachimangu (Tsuruta)

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no Mikoto
Address 53 Oimatsu Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3541

Hachimangu (Ohara)

Hachimangu (Ohara)

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no mikoto, Tamayorihime (the goddess of the water and seas)
Address 22 Kamikameko Ohara Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3541

Hachimangu (Mawarizeki)

Hachimangu (Mawarizeki)

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no mikoto
Address 80 Higashisagariyama Mawarizeki Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3542

Hachimangu (Myodozaki)

Hachimangu (Myodozaki)

Enshrined Deity Homutawake no mikoto
Address 3 Inamoto Myodozaki Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3543

Towada Shrine

Towada Shrine

Address 81-150 Osawa Mawarizeki Tsuruta, Aomori 038-3542

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