Timeline

Shikinen Grand Festival (periodic ceremonial festival)

Reconstructed of the torii gate at the Kami-Iwata entrance

Shikinen Grand Festival (1690th Anniversary)

・Construction of the shrine name monument (designated project by Yamaguchi Prefecture Shrine 　Association).

・Reconstruction of the origin plaque.

・Yamaguchi Prefecture Shrine Register (Origins of Iwato Hachimangū),edited by the Yamaguchi 　Prefectural Association of Shinto Shrines

・Publication of the commemorative booklet for the Shikinen Grand Festival, including a list of 　dedicators.

・Commemorative tree planting and renovation of the otabisho(Ogatama tree) and 　precincts(Sakaki).

・Renovation of stone pavement and retaining walls within the precincts.

Dedication of a newly made mikoshi for the summer festival

Repair of a chozuya (ritual hand-washing pavilion) Roof

・Replacement of copper roofing.

Repair of Chikamasa Inari Shrine

Reconstruction of the otabisho pedestal

In Commemoration of the Accession of His Majesty the Emperor (Heisei)

・Dedication of national flag raising platform by the chief priest and parish representatives.

・Dedication of shrine name monuments for Uryu Kojin Shrine, Inari Shrine, and Hitomaru Shrine.

Repairing and repainting a mikoshi

Installation of Iwato Archaeological Site Guideboard

Reconstruction of Shrine Office and Performance Hall

Shikinen Grand Festival (1675th Anniversary)

・Replacement of copper roofing on the main hall.

・Repainting of guardian statues.

・Flood prevention works within the precincts.

Installation of a historical information plaque

Appointment of Guji(Chief Shinto Priest) Kaita Mitsuaki

Construction of the First Torii Gate of Uryu Inari Shrine

Donated by Shigeo Tagawa.

Survey of the Iwatō Archaeological Site

Yamaguchi Prefectural Board of Education

The Yamaguchi Prefecture Shrine Gazetteer was published, including the shrine’s origins.

Chief Priest: Kaita Tomoaki

Shikinen Grand Festival (1660th Anniversary)

Dedication of Komainu Statues to Uryu Shrine

by Matsuoka Kisaku(70)

Reconstruction of Worship and Offering Halls

Sengu(Ceremonial Relocation) of Utachi Inari Shrine

Reconstruction of Koike Chinju Shrine

Shikinen Grand Festival (1645th Anniversary)

Registered as a Religious Corporation

Under Chief Priest Kaita Tomoaki.

Shikinen Grand Festival (1630th Anniversary)

Reconstruction of Chikamasa Inari Shrine

Chief Ptiest: Mitsuaki Kaita

Dedication of a Well / Conducting a Rain-Prayer Ceremony

Historical records state that the well was located in front of the former shrine office; however, the existing well bears an inscription from the Meiji period. This raises the question of whether the well was originally constructed in the Meiji era and later refurbished during the Shōwa period, or whether it refers to a different well altogether. The fact that a rain-prayer ritual was performed suggests that the year may have been marked by severe drought.

Construction of a Stone Lantern at Uryu Kasuga Shrine

Construction of a Stone Lantern at Uryu Ko Shrine

Construction of a Commemorative Monument for the Enthronement of Emperor Shōwa

Sacred Rice Fields for the Daijōsai Offering

The Daijōsai is the most important Shinto ritual associated with the imperial enthronement. It is held only once in an emperor’s lifetime, during which the emperor offers newly harvested rice and other agricultural products from designated sacred rice fields and farmlands across Japan to the deities, praying for abundant harvests and the prosperity of the nation.(Dedication of Chestnuts by Goro Kunimitsu)

Shikinen Grand Festival (1615th Anniversary)

・Appointment as Shrine Attendant: Tomoaki Kaita(April 21)

・Dedication of Shimebashira Pillars by Goro Kunimitsu　(MAP No.01)

・Commemorative Monument for the Pine Hand-Planted by His Imperial Highness the Crown 　Prince

Construction of Shimo Iwata Entrance Torii

Peace commemoration.

Construction of a Hōju Lantern

Dedication of an Ema Painting, “The Taiheiraku Scene”

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Tsuya-kō Association. The Tsuya-kō is a traditional community gathering in which local residents come together for overnight vigils and mutual support, playing an important role in preserving local customs and supporting shrine events.

Enthronement Commemorative Tree-Planting Monument(Hinoki:Japanese cypress)

The Taiten refers collectively to the Imperial Enthronement Ceremony (Sokui no Rei) and the Great Thanksgiving Festival (Daijōsai)

Donation of a Hyakudo-ishi (Dedicated by Chiyozō Iwakami)

Hyakudo-ishi are stone pillars or stones placed within the precincts of Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples. They serve as markers for hyakudo-mairi, a devotional practice in which worshippers walk back and forth 100 times between the main hall and the entrance (or other designated points) while earnestly praying to the deity or Buddha.

Jijin-sai / Kōjin-sai / Inari-sai

The shrine celebrates several traditional festivals: the Jijin Festival honoring the local earth deity, the Kōjin Festival honoring the deity of fire, and the Inari Festival honoring the deity of rice, business, and prosperity.

Kōjin-sai – Fire Deity Festival

Chikamasa Inari Shrine Restoration

Afforestation of 5 tan 7 se (approximately 0.57 hectares) of cypress trees within the shrine precincts

Millennial Festival (1000th Anniversary)

Commemorative Lantern Erected (donated by Kawamura Yohei, who went to the United States)

Summer Festival expense record(Nishihata District)

Re-roofing of Uryu Kojin Shrine

Russo-Japanese War memorial cherry tree

Planted by veterans from Iwata Village

Revision of the festival regulations in the Nishibata district

Jishinsai, Otoshisai, Inarisai, Summer Kojinsai

Reconstruction of Haragasako Gion Shrine

Dedication of stone lanterns(donated by Yoshitaka Ichinosuke)

Erection of the torii gate at the Kami-Iwata entrance

A permanent night lantern was built in the Uryu district. After the flame was taken around to each household, the lantern was formally lit.

Although the donated night lantern was not used as a streetlight in the modern sense, it served both as a sacred offering and as a symbolic source of light for the community.

The dedication of one shrine hall and three curtain hangings

Donated by Kaita Ento?, Chief Priest.

Record of Shimo-Otsuka Jishinsai festival

The recording of entries in the Shrine Register begins.

Compilation of the Uryu Shrine Record Book.

The keeping of perpetual records begins.

Dedication of stone lanterns

Donated by Horiguchi Tsunejiro & Suesaburo

The framework-raising (jōtō) of the Tsuri-ya(connecting corridor) and the entrance of the worship hall.

Appointment of Kaita Ento? as Chief Priest

Dedication of stone lanterns

Donated by Moriyama Shichibe & Heisuke

Ema:donated by Kunimitsu Kihe

Votive picture tablet (ema) depicting a Chinese warrior on horseback

Relocation of Ayukaeri Kojin Shrine

Principal patron: Ichikawa Takeemon.

Shrine priest: Kaita Namie (Fujiwara Masahiro)

Establishment of Chikimasa Inari Shrine

Ritual officiant: Kaita Kitaro Fujiwara Hayamitsu.

Implementation of the Shinto–Buddhist Separation Order in Chōshū Domain.

Ema:donated by Kunimitsu Kogenta

Votive picture tablet (ema) depicting a Chinese warrior on horseback

Replaced the bronze lantern with a stone lantern

Shrine priests Kaita Namiye and Kaita Chikae were suspended from their priestly duties.

Record Book of the Kōjin-kō at Nishihata Kōjin Shrine

Recorded by all parishioners and the shrine priest, Kaita Namiye.

Regulations governing shrine status and ritual practice

With Umemoto Iezo playing a central role, regulations governing shrine status and ritual practice were compiled, and a ritual organization was formed.

Reconstruction of Uryu Shrine.

Nishihata Ōtoshi Daimyōjin was enshrined.

Appointment of Kaita Chikae as Chief Priest

The Iwato Hachimangū Disturbance Incident

Reconstruction of Utate Shrine

Amakuwa Hachimangū and the Ninomiya Shrine on Mt. Shinsho were consolidated and enshrined at Iwato Hachimangū

The compilation of the Bōchō Fūdō Chūshinan was completed

A stone night lantern (jōyatō) was erected at Yoshiida Hachimangū Shrine

A stone lantern was dedicated to Ayukaeri Ko Shrine.

Bronze lantern donated to Iwato Hachimangū

A chrysanthemum crest was dedicated to Ayukaeri Ko Shrine.

Arakami Shrine was established

Ritual officiant: Kaita Namie

A stone purification basin (Chozu-bachi) for the Gion Shrine

Donated by the parishioners of Shimo-Amaguwa

Ema:donated by Kunimitsu Jūrōzaemon

Votive picture tablet (ema) depicting a Chinese warrior on horseback

Reconstruction of the Mizoroi Gion Shrine

Ritual officiant: Kaita Namie

A stone night lantern (jōyatō) was erected at Ietsune

Completion of the mikoshi.

crafted at Ōnoya

The Tsūyakō began

The Tsūyakō is a regularly held overnight communal observance carried out by village residents who care deeply for the Hachimangū.

Stone lantern donated to Iwato Hachimangū by Kunimitsu Tshiharu

Construction of a tamagaki (sacred fence).

Donors’ names are engraved on the tamagaki

Chief Priest Kaita Namie received a Yoshida Shintō licensing certificate.

Jijin-Sama in Suetsune

Jijin (local guardian deity): a deity traditionally believed to have protected the land since ancient times, revered for safeguarding the land, its cultivation, and agriculture.

Dedicated to Koike Chinjusha Shrine

Komainu donated by Kunimitsu Shigezaemon Takemasa

Uryu Ko shrine

According to a report on temples and shrines submitted to Chōshū Domain by Kanzaemon, the headman of the Kyuryo in Miwa Village, Although the exact date of their founding is unclear, it is evident that Ko Shrines existed in Uryu, Mihara, and Ayukaeri within the village.

Reconstruction of Iwato Hachimangū

Confirmed by ridge tag inscription.

Stone lantern donated to Uritsu Inari Shrine by Mr. Kiyohiro.

Torii gate erected at Sadanobu Ko Shrine

A record book of Nishihata Otoshi Shrine events was compiled

by the parishioners

Torii gate erected at Koike Chinju Shrine

Torii gate erected at Uryu Shrine

Stone lantern donated to Naka-Iwata Kou Shrine

by Kunimitsu Tshiharu, Takemasa (MAP No.26)

Stone lantern donated to Iwato Hachimangū

by Kunimitsu Tshiharu, Takemasa (MAP No.23)

Torii gate donated to Naka-Iwata Kou Shrine

by Kunimitsu Tshiharu, Takemasa (MAP No.35)

Establishment of Chikamasa Inari Shrine

Deity statue dedicated in the Tenmei era – still extant

Torii donated to Harugasako Gion Shrine by parishioners

Establishment of Ko Shrine

Rituals conducted by Priest Kaita Yukie Masanobu

Chief Priest Kaita Yukie received a Yoshida Shintō licensing certificate.

Reconstruction of Iwato Hachimangū

Rituals conducted by Priest Kaita Iyo

Record of the Origins of Iwata Village Hachimangū

・Origins of Temples and Shrines in Bōchō: Reports to the Domain from Temples and Shrines of Suō and Nagato Provinces

・Nishihata Otoshi Shrine(Report by District Magistrate)

Compilation of Bōchō Jige Jōshin

Reports Submitted to the Domain in Bōchō

Chief Priest Kaita Iyo Fujiwara Masaie received a Yoshida Shintō licensing certificate.

Donation of a Stone Lantern to Sadamune Shrine

Reconstruction of Iwato Hachimangū

Confirmed by ridge tag inscription.

Chief Priest Kaita Kii no kami Masaharu received a Yoshida Shintō licensing certificate.

Court titles such as ‘○○ no kami’ or ‘○○ no suke’ often had little to do with actual land holdings. According to On the Appointment Procedures for Military Court Ranks in the Early Modern Period (Nihon Rekishi, No. 586), these ranks were usually selected and applied for based on family customs or personal preference, and the shogunate would grant approval.
As part of the ceremonial exchange, a formal gift of gratitude was presented to the shogun, and offerings (monetary or material) were submitted to the Imperial Court.

Torii Donated to Hachimangū – Donors: All Parishioners

Erection of a Night Lantern at Chikamasa Inari Shrine

Genroku Aratame Onechō

Bōshū Regional Shrines and Temples Listing: Iwata Village Shō Hachiman – Chief Priest Gon-no-kami Kaita Masatsugu(Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)

The Genroku Aratame Onechō was a register compiled in the early Edo period, particularly during the Genroku era (1688–1704), as part of the shūmon jinbetsu aratame (religious affiliation surveys) conducted by the shogunate and local domains to enforce the ban on Christianity and manage the population. It recorded the temples and shrines of villages and their parishioners (danka).
The register served not only as a religious survey but also as a tool for household and social status registration, and was also called the Onechō.

Chief Priest Kaita Sagami no kami Masatoshi received a Yoshida Shintō licensing certificate.

Reconstruction of Iwato Hachimangū

Chief Priest Kaita Gon no kami Masatsugu received a Yoshida Shintō licensing certificate.

Suetsune Kō Shrine in Iwata Village was transferred (kanjō) from Yamaguchi Takakura Kō Shrine

Battle of Sekigahara

Motomasa Iida made Iwata Village in Miwa-shō his fief

Iwato Hachimangū was granted six tan of tax-exempt land and three tan of shrine-owned land for shrine construction.

Reconstruction of Iwato Hachimangu Shrine Buildings

By Sue Okifusa.

Ashikaga Takauji appointed Buzen Kurando Saburō (Tahara Naosada) to the position of jito of Iwata-ho

Raising Ceremony of Iwato Hachimangū

Relocation to Present Site

Moved from Mount Iwato to Dainichi-men.

Enshrinement from Usa Hachimangū

Divine spirit invited to Iwato Rock.

Founding of Usa Hachimangū

Archaeological Sites

Mizoroi Site, Iwato Site, Udate Site, and the Chōgen-ji (Gionbara) Site.