Suggested Itineraries

Legend has it that the name “Senzan,” meaning “the first mountain,” was given because it was the first mountain created by the two deities, Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, during the creation of the land. Senkoji Temple sits atop Mt. Senzan and is the first pilgrimage temple on the Awaji Shikoku 88 sacred places circuit. Iwato-jinja Shinto Shrine is also located here and enshrines Amaterasu Omikami (the Sun Goddess), who hid in the Ama-no-Iwato cave. The site is associated with the Kuniumi Story (Japan's Creation Myth).

This shrine is dedicated to the two deities, Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto. Cape Myojin, where the shrine is located, has an observation deck offering panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea. It also features a cave regarded as a spiritual site, where passing through a narrow opening resembling a birth canal is believed to bring a sense of rebirth.

According to the oldest Japanese texts, the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and the Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan), the Shinto deity Izanagi-no-Mikoto, who accomplished all divine tasks, beginning with Kuniumi (the creation of Japan), handed over the great task of governing the realm to his daughter, Amaterasu Omikami. He then established the Kakuri-no-Miya (Hidden Palace) at Taga on Awaji Island, which he had first created, and spent the rest of his life there. A mausoleum was built at the site of his residence, and Izanagi-jingu Shinto Shrine is said to have originated there as Japan's oldest shrine. Locally, the shrine is affectionately known as “Ikkusan”and is also revered under other titles, Hi no Wakamiya, Awajishimagami, Taga Myojin, and Tsuna Myojin.