Ikasuri Shrine

In Semba, Osaka, a short walk from Hommachi Station, stands Ikasuri Shrine, long known by the nickname Zama-san. The proper reading is Ikasuri, though it is also read Zama. It is a Shikinai Taisha that styles itself the Ichinomiya of Settsu Province, formerly ranked as a Kanpei Chusha and now a Beppyo Jinja of the Association of Shinto Shrines. The place name "Watanabe" in the shrine's address was carried over from the name of its former site, and the area is also said to be the birthplace of the Watanabe surname.

The enshrined deities are five gods collectively called Ikasuri-no-kami. Ikui, Fukui and Tsunagai are gods of well water, Hahigi is a god of the hearth and the household grounds, and Asuha is a god of the hearth who is also a god of the feet and of travel. The shrine has long been revered for protecting homes, for safe travel and for easy childbirth. A poem in the Man'yoshu survives about travel safety, and tales about prayers by Empress Jingu and Emperor Meiji are handed down regarding childbirth.

The shrine is said to have begun when Empress Jingu, returning from her campaign in Korea, enshrined the god at the mouth of the Yodo River. The old site was the area around the river mouth known as Watanabe-no-tsu, estimated to be near present-day Ishimachi in Chuo Ward. In the Heian period the Watanabe clan handled the shrine's affairs and later became known as a naval force. The site was also the starting point of the Kumano pilgrimage route, and the Kubotsu Oji is said to have stood within the shrine grounds. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle, the shrine's site was changed and it moved to its present place in Semba. Secondhand clothing shops gathered in front of the gate, which is said to have helped Semba grow into a textile town, and a monument was erected in 2011 to honor the tale of the first Katsura Bunji opening a yose theater here.

The present buildings were rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1960 after being destroyed in the Osaka air raids of 1945. Their appearance imitates the 1936 shrine buildings. At the entrance is a "Mitsu Torii", a combination of three torii of different sizes, and the grounds hold the main hall and worship hall, a purification site and the headquarters of the Osaka Prefectural Association of Shinto Shrines.

Auxiliary and minor shrines line the grounds, and those tied to Semba commerce stand out. Togi Shrine protects the pottery wholesalers nearby and Seni Shrine protects the textile wholesalers. The Pottery Festival in July is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Osaka City. Other events include the Kenka-sai on April 22 and the Kaketori-sai on December 2.

It is about 3 minutes on foot from Hommachi Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line, next to the west side of Minami-Midosuji. On the Shinbutsu Reijo Pilgrimage it is No. 49 (Osaka No. 8). It is easy to combine with sights in central Osaka already listed on this site, such as the Osaka Science Museum, Hozenji Yokocho and Kuromon Market.