Tosa Shrine is the oldest shrine in Tosa, and is surrounded by over 200 year-old cypress and cedar trees, and has a tonbo style hall of worship. The shrine was built between 457 and 479.
As described in “Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan)” and “Tosa Kuni Fudoki (Tosa Province Fudoki)” (anecdotes), it is an ancient shrine that has been enshrined since ancient times, and in the medieval and early modern periods, it was revered as the general guardian of Tosa Province and is a representative shrine of Kochi Prefecture.
The present main shrine pavilion was built by Motochika Chosokabe, a feudal lord of warring states in the late Muromachi period. Motochika started to rebuild the shrine in 1567, praying for the pacification of Shikoku, and completed it in 1571.
The main shrine building consists of a main hall, a hall of offerings and a hall of worship, and the hall of offerings and the hall of worship in front of the main hall form a “cross” shape on a flat surface. These are said to be in the “iritombo” style, which represents a dragonfly flying into the main hall with its head, and are unique to Tosa Shrine as they are said to signify the triumphal return of the warriors.
The main hall (one building) and the hall of offerings and worship (one building) are designated as National Important Cultural Properties of Japan.
15 minutes on foot from Tosa Ichinomiya Station