Kibitsu Shrine

History and Divine Virtue

Standing at the western foot of Mount Kibi no Nakayama, Kibitsu Shrine is the ichinomiya (first-ranked shrine) of the old Bitchu Province. Its deity, Okibitsuhiko no Mikoto, is recorded in the Nihon Shoki as an imperial prince dispatched as one of the Four Generals in the reign of Emperor Sujin to pacify the Kibi region; the legend of his defeat of the ogre Ura is often regarded as the origin of the Momotaro folktale. The main sanctuary and worship hall, rebuilt in 1425, are designated National Treasures, and their singular style — two hip-and-gable roofs joined front to back, known as hiyoku-irimoya or Kibitsu-zukuri — is found nowhere else. A roofed corridor some 400 meters long descends gently from the main hall along the natural slope of the land. In the Okamaden hall, the ancient Narukama rite divines good or ill fortune from the sound of a boiling cauldron, a ceremony immortalized in Ueda Akinari's Tales of Moonlight and Rain.

Visiting Notes

• The main sanctuary and worship hall are National Treasures. The paired hip-and-gable roof, hiyoku-irimoya, is unique to this shrine.
• The roofed corridor from the main hall to the Okamaden and Hongusha runs about 400 meters along the contours of the hill.
• The Narukama cauldron rite at the Okamaden divines fortune from the sound of the boiling kettle. Apply on the day at the counter; not held every day.
• Auxiliary shrines within the grounds, such as Uga Shrine and Ichidosha, are visited for study and the arts.

Deities and Location

Enshrined Deities

Ōkibitsuhiko no Mikoto

Location

岡山県岡山市北区吉備津 (Okayama)

Access

About 10 minutes on foot from Kibitsu Station on the JR Kibi Line.

Lineage

Career & Victory, Purification & Renewal

Visiting hours, goshuin (shrine stamps), and festival dates change; please confirm the latest information through each shrine's official announcements. If you find an error in this entry, we would be grateful if you let us know.