Watatsu Shrine

Cross a bridge with vermilion railings over the Hamochi River and pass the torii, and the shrine that has long been revered as the guardian of the whole island sits quietly against the mountain. Watatsu Shrine is the ichinomiya of Sado Province, located in Hamochi-Iioka, Sado. It lies in the hills of southern Sado, about ten minutes by car from Ogi Port.

The chief deity is Isotakeru no Mikoto, with his two sisters Oyatsuhime and Tsumatsuhime. The three deities oversee wood culture and are regarded as gods of forestry, building and shipbuilding. On an island where people and goods moved by boat, it is easy to see why they were worshipped as guardians of safe travel. One theory reads "Wata" in the name as an old word for the sea, making this a shrine to a sea god.

Historically, the shrine appears in the Engishiki of 927 as a minor shrine. Repeated floods of the Hamochi River destroyed its buildings and old records, so much about its founding and medieval history is unclear; after a flood in 1470, the Honma clan, rulers of Sado, is said to have rebuilt it in 1472. The early Edo Shinto scholar Tachibana Mitsuyoshi visited in 1678 while touring the ichinomiya of Japan. In 1816 a dispute over the ichinomiya title arose between the attached temples Jingu-ji and Keito-ji, and Jingu-ji reportedly won. In 1871 the shrine was ranked as a minor national shrine, and today it is a Beppyo shrine of the Association of Shinto Shrines.

Inside the grounds, Mount Imose can be seen beyond the first torii by the prefectural road, followed by the second torii, the Hibuse bridge and a gate at the top of stone steps, so the approach climbs step by step toward the shrine. The main hall stands on higher ground behind the worship hall, with a nagare-zukuri roof cover and a gable-roofed offering hall in front. The worship hall's greenish roof, surrounded by trees, and the curtain bearing chrysanthemum crests give it the weight of an island's first shrine.

The main events are the New Year Festival on January 1, a prayer for safe travel around the island on April 21, the Annual Festival on April 23, a prayer for safety at sea on April 24, and the Harvest Festival on November 23. Its main rituals include the Kaburaya-shiki, and a traditional performing art, Imose Kagura, is handed down. Visiting around the spring festival lets you feel the atmosphere of an island festival.

Allow about 30 minutes to walk the grounds. The ruins of Iioka Castle and Hamochi Castle are nearby, and seeing them together helps you picture the age of the Honma clan. Sado Gold Mine (about 21 km), the Toki no Mori Park (about 21 km) and Sengakuwan Ageshima Park (about 27 km) are a drive away, so it fits naturally into an island tour by car.