Tanekashi-sha 種貸社

Tanekashi-sha has existed since at least the early Heian period (794–1185), when it was recorded on a list of shrines that received financial support from the government. It was originally located 2 kilometers away but was moved to Sumiyoshi Taisha after a fire in the sixteenth century.

Tanekashi-sha is the first stop in the Hattatsu Mairi.

Hattatsu Mairi hours: 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Prayer donation: 1,100 yen

As the first stop in the Hattatsu Mairi ritual, Tanekashi-sha is associated with the investment and effort needed when starting up a successful business. Visitors performing the more complex Minori Mairi rite can buy a sacred rice seed from the shrine for 800 yen, which can be exchanged for a rice stalk at the next shrine, Nankun-sha.

Uka no Mitama no Mikoto is enshrined at Tanekashi-sha. The deity is one of the many forms of Inari, a Shinto deity of grain and agriculture. The shrine is associated with sowing and fertility (tane means “seed”). It is popular with people seeking to conceive children.

Shrine One: Tanekashi-sha

Tanekashi-sha is the first stop on the Hattatsu Mairi. It is the oldest of the four subsidiary shrines. During the early Heian period (794–1185), it was recorded on a list of shrines that received financial support from the emperor’s court. It was originally located 2 kilometers away from Sumiyoshi Taisha but was moved after a fire in the sixteenth century.

This shrine is devoted to Uka no Mitama no Mikoto, believed to be one of the many manifestations of Inari, a major Shinto deity associated with grain, agriculture, and business. Uka no Mitama no Mikoto is specifically associated with grain, and the shrine’s strong connection with sowing and fertility—tane means “seed”—has made it popular with people starting businesses or hoping to conceive children. As part of the Hattatsu Mairi, a visit to Tanekashi-sha represents the investment and effort needed in the early stages of setting up a successful business.

Tanekashi-sha offers small clay figurines depicting a mother cradling a child, which serve as charms for conception and childbearing. Visitors performing the Minori Mairi can also acquire a single rice seed at the shrine. Tanekashi-sha is open to Hattatsu Mairi practitioners from 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on “dragon days.” The minimum offering for the rite is 1,100 yen.