Akihasan Hongū Akiha Jinja is a unique and fascinating Shinto shrine located in Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. This shrine has the distinction of being the head shrine for 800 Akiha shrines around the country! Its primary kami or deity is Hinokagutsuchi-no-Okami associated with protection against fires. It was established in 701 by the famed priest Gyōki as an Buddhist temple, becoming popular in the Edo period. Despite its remote mountain location, it became a popular pilgrimage spot on the way to Ise Shrine or Kompira Shrine, or when heading back to Edo. The major Sōtō temples and monasteries usually had a small Akiha shrine within their grounds. Afterwards, after the Meiji Restoration and the laws that separated Buddhism and Shinto, the shrine was converted into the Akiha Shrine in 1873 and designated as a prefectural shrine under the State Shinto system. Today, this awe inspiring shrine is home to its own museum and offers plenty of festivals and activities for locals and visitors alike.