Sōja shrine

A Sōja (総社) is a kind of Shinto shrine where the kami of an area are all worshipped. The area can be as small as a manor or as large as a province. Some soja shrines are also ichinomiya.[1]`

Sōja-gū the Soja shrine where the 304 kami of Bitchu Province are all worshipped

When a new provincial governor was appointed he needed to visit all the kami of the province. Having all the kami at one soja shrine helped make this easier.[2]

Provincial Soja Shrines
Region Province Shrine Location Shrine ranking
Engishiki Jinmyocho Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines Beppyo?
Kinai Yamashiro unknown
Yamato unknown Takatori, Nara
Kawachi Shikiagatanushi Shrine Fujiidera, Osaka Shikinai Taisha Son-sha
Izumi Izumi Inoue Shrine Izumi, Osaka Fuken-sha
Settsu Nanba Shrine[lower-alpha 1] Fuken-sha
Tōkaidō Iga Province unknown
Ise Inatomi Shrine Suzuka, Mie Shikinai Shosha Ken-sha
Miyake Shrine Suzuka, Mie Shikinai Shosha Son-sha
Shima Kokufu Shrine Shima, Mie Son-sha
Owari Owari Ōkunitama Shrine Inazawa, Aichi Shikinai Shosha Kokuhei Shōsha Yes
Mikawa Mikawa Sōja Toyokawa, Aichi Ken-sha
Tōtōmi Ōmikunitama Shrine Iwata, Shizuoka Shikinai Shosha Ken-sha
Suruga Shizuoka Sengen Shrine (Kambe Junja) Shizuoka, Shizuoka Shikinai Shosha Kokuhei Shōsha Yes
Izu Mishima Taisha[lower-alpha 2] Mishima, Shizuoka Kanpei Taisha
Kai Kaina Shrine 1st location Fuefuki, Yamanashi Shikinai Shosha Son-sha
Kaina Shrine 2nd location Fuefuki, Yamanashi Shikinai Shosha Son-sha
Miyamae-cho Hachimangu (3rd location) Kōfu, Yamanashi Ken-sha
Sagami Rokusho Shrine Ōiso, Kanagawa Gō-sha
Musashi Ōkunitama Shrine Fuchū, Tokyo kanpei-shōsha Yes
Awa Rokusho Shrine Tateyama, Chiba Unknown
Tsuruya Hachiman Shrine (2nd location) Tateyama, Chiba Ken-sha
Kazusa Togakushi Shrine Ichihara, Chiba Son-sha
Iigaoka Hachimangu (2nd location) Ichihara, Chiba Ken-sha
Shimōsa Rokusho Shrine Ichikawa, Chiba Son-sha
Hitachi Hitachi-no-Kuni Sōshagū Ishioka, Ibaraki Ken-sha
Tōsandō Ōmi unknown
Mino Nangū Otabi Shrine Tarui, Gifu Setsumatsusha
Hida Hida Sōja Takayama, Gifu Ken-sha
Shinano Shinano Omiya Shrine Ueda, Nagano Ken-sha
Iwa Shrine (2nd location) Matsumoto, Nagano Son-sha
Kōzuke Sōja Shrine Maebashi, Gunma Ken-sha
Shimotsuke Ōmiwa Shrine (Shimotsuke) Tochigi, Tochigi Shikinai Shosha Ken-sha
Mutsu Mutsu Sōsha-no-miya Tagajō, Miyagi Son-sha
Dewa Rokusho Shrine Tsuruoka, Yamagata Gō-sha
Hokurikudō Wakasa Sō Shrine Obama, Fukui Son-sha
Echizen Sōja Daijingū Echizen, Fukui Ken-sha
Kaga Isobe Shrine Komatsu, Ishikawa Shikinai Shosha Gō-sha
Noto Sōsha Nanao, Ishikawa Son-sha
Etchū Keta Shrine[lower-alpha 3] Fuken-sha
Echigo Fuchū Hachiman-gū Jōetsu, Niigata Unknown
Sado Sōsha Shrine Sado, Niigata Unknown
San'indō Tamba Sō Shrine Nantan, Kyoto Unknown
Tango Kono Shrine[lower-alpha 4] Kokuhei Chūsha
Tajima Keta Shrine Toyooka, Hyōgo Shikinai Shosha Gō-sha
Inaba unknown
Hōki Kokuchōri Shrine (Sōja-daimyōjin) Kurayoshi, Tottori Shikigeisha Ken-sha
Izumo Rokusho Shrine Matsue, Shimane Ken-sha
Iwami Ikan Shrine Hamada, Shimane Shikinai Shosha Son-sha
Oki Tamawakasumikoto Shrine (Sōja-daimyōjin) Okinoshima, Shimane Shikinai Shosha Ken-sha
Ariki Shrine Okinoshima, Shimane Son-sha
San'yōdō Harima Itatehyōzu Shrine Himeji, Hyōgo Shikinai Shosha Ken-sha Yes
Mimasaka Mimasaka Sōja-gū Tsuyama, Okayama Ken-sha
Bizen Bizen-no-Kuni Sōjagū Okayama, Okayama Gō-sha
Bitchū Bitchū-no-kuni Sōja-gū Sōja, Okayama Ken-sha
Bingo Ono Shrine Fuchū, Hiroshima Unknown
Aki unknown
Take Shrine Fuchū, Hiroshima Myojin Taisha Ken-sha
Suō Saba Shrine Hōfu, Yamaguchi Ken-sha
Nagato Sōsha-gū (subshrine of Iminomiya Shrine) Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Setsumatsusha
Wakamiya Shrine Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Unknown
Nankaidō Kii Fumori Shrine Wakayama, Wakayama Son-sha
Awaji Jūichimyōjin Shrine Minamiawaji, Hyōgo Son-sha
Awa Hachiman Sōsha Ryo Shrine Tokushima, Tokushima Son-sha
Omiwa Shrine Tokushima, Tokushima Shikinai Shosha Ken-sha
Sanuki Sōja Shrine Sakaide, Kagawa Gō-sha
Iyo Ikanashi Shrine Imabari, Ehime Shikinai Shosha Son-sha
Tosa Tosa Kokubun-ji Nankoku, Kōchi Gō-sha
Saikaidō Chikuzen unknown
Chikugo Kōra taisha Kurume, Fukuoka Kokuhei Taisha
Buzen Sōsha Hachiman-gū Miyako, Fukuoka Gō-sha
Bungo unknown
Hizen unknown
Higo Kitaoka Shrine Kumamoto, Kumamoto Fuken-sha
Hyūga Tsuma Shrine Saito, Miyazaki Shikinai Shosha Ken-sha
Ōsumi Haraido Shrine Kirishima, Kagoshima Son-sha
Satsuma Shukō Shrine subshrine of Nitta Shrine Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Setsumatsusha
Iki Kō Shrine Iki, Nagasaki Son-sha
Tsushima unknown
Hokkaido Hakodate Hachimangū Kokuhei Chūsha

Regional Soja Shrines

These are notable smaller Soja shrines for regions smaller than provinces

  • Akasaka Uenoyama Shrine
  • Unakoro Waki Shrine
  • Ono Shrine (Ritto City)
  • Ogami Shrine (Tonami City)
  • Kainan Shrine
  • Katsushika Shrine
  • Katsube Shrine
  • Mukuhashi Shrine
  • Kotai Jingu (Fujisawa City)
  • Gosho Shrine (Sammu City)
  • Sakata Shinmei Shrine
  • Shinkai Sansha Shrine
  • Sazama Shrine (Daito City)
  • Kenda Suga Shrine
  • Tachibana Shrine (Kawasaki City)
  • Torakashi Shrine
  • Nagao Shrine
  • Nanba Shrine (may have historically been a provincal one)
  • Arayaza Amaterasu Mitama Shrine
  • Nogi Shrine
  • Hotaka Shrine
  • Washinomiya Shrine

Notes
  1. Theorized identification. No confirmation
  2. Theorized identification. No confirmation
  3. Theorized identification. No confirmation
  4. Theorized identification. No confirmation

References
  1. Herbert, Jean (2011). Shinto:At the Fountain-head of Japan. Routledge. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-415-59348-9.
  2. Bocking, Brian (2016). A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Routledge. ISBN 978-1138979079.
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