Suwa Jinja in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture

Name: Suwa Jinja ( 諏訪神社 )
Enshrined Deity: Takeminakata
​Address: 〒830-0037 Fukuoka-ken, Kurume-shi, Suwanomachi

Most of my information on Suwa Jinja in Kurume comes from a wonderful blog that documents shrines in Western Japan.  So if you can read Japanese, please check it out here: 産土神名帳 (republished with permission)

​~~ NOTE: As always, the pictures below often have captions, so please click on them to enlarge and see my comments. ~~

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​There are around 5,000 Suwa shrines throughout Japan.  But they are all connected to the main Suwa shrine in Suwa city, Nagano prefecture - Suwa Taisha.  These shrines all worship the god Takeminakata.  Suwa Taisha is a very old shrine, dating back to at LEAST the 7th century.  But Suwa Taisha is a separate post of its own, so let's move on to the Suwa Shrine in Kurume city.

Suwa Shrine, Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture

The shrine is immediately noticeable for the torii gate that sits right alongside the main rode.  I actually had no plans on going here specifically, but just saw the torii while driving by and decided to stop and check it out.  The shrine grounds are small and compact, but it's quiet and shaded by the large trees that sit on either side of the main torii.

No one knows when this shrine was built, but we know it already existed somewhere between 1350 to 1450.  It is the second oldest shrine in Kurume, losing out to the incredibly old Kora Taisha built in the 5th century.  Unfortunately, as with many old shrines, the buildings were destroyed by the fires of war during the Sengoku Period.  It was then rebuilt at its present location and has remained since that time.

Behind the main hall is also three small Genkurō Inari shrines with cute stone paths leading up to each one.

Overall it's a nice little shrine tucked away in the city and if you happen to be driving by, it's worth stopping to take a look.