Otonashi Shrine

Located on the quiet shores of Uranouchi Bay in Susaki City, Otonashi Shrine is one of Kochi’s most scenic hidden spots. Unlike many shrines in Japan, its approach leads directly toward the sea. A stone torii gate stands beside the water, giving the shrine the appearance of floating on the bay. This beautiful setting has earned it the nickname Tosa no Miyajima — “Miyajima of Tosa” — after the famous shrine island near Hiroshima. In recent years, the shrine has also become popular online as a photogenic spot.

The shrine’s history stretches back more than 1,500 years. The shrine’s main buildings were rebuilt in 1663 by the second lord of the Tosa Domain, and all three buildings are designated National Important Cultural Properties. Their colorful architecture is said to resemble the buildings of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, unlike the simpler shrine styles common during the Edo period. Decorative details and the Yamauchi family crest on the eaves reflect the strong faith of the ruling Yamauchi family.

Otonashi Shrine is also known as a place of en-musubi — the forging of meaningful connections between people. Visitors come to pray for love, friendship and good relationships. One of the shrine’s unique traditions involves dissolvable omikuji fortune slips. Instead of tying them to a tree, visitors place the paper into the bay, where the fortune slowly appears before dissolving into the sea.

Traditionally, worshippers reached the shrine by boat across the bay, and the area still feels peaceful and far from the crowds of Japan’s major tourist destinations. Every year on 25 August, the Shinane Matsuri festival brings the bay to life as boats carrying portable shrines cross the water in a tradition that dates back more than 1,000 years.