Imamiya Ebisu Shrine

Imamiya Ebisu Shrine is worshipped as 'Ebessan', the god of commerce in Osaka. It is said to have begun when Prince Shotoku built Shitennoji in the reign of Empress Suiko and enshrined the deity as guardian of the land west of the temple. The deities are Amaterasu Sume Okami, Kotoshironushi no Mikoto (Ebisu) and three other gods. Ebisu was originally a protector of fishing: in ancient times this area lay along the shore, where a market was held to barter the produce of the sea, the villages and the fields, and Ebisu was enshrined as the guardian of that market as well. Later he came to be strongly worshipped as a god who grants good fortune and as a god prayed to for prosperity in trade. In the Edo period the Toka Ebisu festival came to be held over the three days of 9, 10 and 11 January, with offerings of hoekago palanquins. Toka Ebisu is the first festival of the year, and worshippers come for the fukusasa, a lucky bamboo branch tied with small treasures and the charms called kiccho given out by the shrine.

Translated and shortened from the Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City tourist listings (観光施設一覧, CC BY 4.0).

Osaka Prefecture's list of designated cultural properties names this place as the owner of 2. Objects are not necessarily on view.

大阪府 文化財一覧 (CC BY 4.0), current at 2024-05-01. Joined by owner name; long names are shortened to the buildings or the object.