旧御机神社

“Lost,” a weary traveler sighed, staring at the faded map. “Absolutely, irretrievably lost.” Then, through a gap in the buildings, he spotted it: the Goryō Jinja. The old Goryō Shrine stood serenely amidst the urban clamor of Osaka. This wasn’t his intended destination, but a wave of calm washed over him. He decided to explore. The Goryō Jinja’s history stretches back to the late 9th century. It began as a small shrine at the edge of Osaka Bay, near the Kizu River. Originally dedicated to deities associated with the Kizu River and local harvest, it was known by various names: Maruyoko Shrine, Marugawa Shrine, and Hazukashi Shrine. The shrine eventually became the ujigami, or tutelary shrine, of the Hazukashi clan. Around 1594, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gifted some land and buildings from his Osaka residence to the Goryō Jinja. This land became its permanent home. The shrine was relocated and incorporated the small shrine of Yaegaki Shrine and Motoori Shrine into its complex. During the Edo period, the shrine’s main building, enshrining five gods, was known as “Goroku” or “Marugoroku.” There was also another shrine building to the south, Hojo-ji Temple, dedicated to Juichimen Kannon. The name changed to Goryō Jinja sometime between 1661 and 1673. It was officially designated as a Shinto shrine in 1753. After the Meiji Restoration, with the separation of Buddhism and Shinto, Goryō Jinja was separated from Hojo-ji Temple. The temple gradually fell into disrepair, leaving behind only the chozuya, the purification trough for visitors. This chozuya still stands before the Goryō Jinja’s southern office building. In 1873, Goryō Jinja was listed as a village shrine. In 1884, during a golden age of Osaka culture, a theater, the “Goryo Bunrakuza” was built within the shrine grounds. Sadly, this theater, along with the main shrine building, was destroyed by fire in November 1926. Rebuilt in 1930, the Goryō Jinja tragically burned down again, this time during the Osaka air raids of March 1945. The present shrine building was completed in 1957, and the chozuya was rebuilt in 1959. The Goryō Jinja, though rebuilt multiple times, continues to offer a peaceful respite, a testament to its enduring presence in Osaka.