Shinto shrine
Ōma Jinja
大馬神社（おおまじんじゃ）
Kumano, Mie Prefecture
A shrine in the hills of Ido-chō, Kumano, which calls itself the chief tutelary shrine of Kumano Province. It enshrines eleven kami, beginning with Amaterasu Ōmikami and including General Sakanoue no Tamuramaro and 白馬大明神.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Prayers associated with this place
Enshrined kami: Amaterasu Ōmikami, Mizuhanome no Kami, Amenokoyane no Mikoto, Homuda Wake no Mikoto, Emperor Nintoku, Emperor Jinmu, Ōyamatsumi no Mikoto, General Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, 白馬大明神, 宇賀御霊大神, 白龍大神
History and things to know
According to shrine tradition, in the early Heian period General Sakanoue no Tamuramaro defeated bandits who were harming pilgrims on the Kumano road, and the building of a shrine over the place where their heads were buried is said to be its origin. It was called “Ōma Gongen” after the large gray horse the general rode, and in Meiji 39 it was designated a shrine eligible to receive offerings of food and cloth (shinsen heihakuryō kyōshinsha).
Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.
Related kami and buddhas
Before you visit
The shrine building is in the mountains beyond the Ōma settlement, and the shrine officially notes that those going by car must finally climb a mountain road only one car wide.
Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)
Sources (in Japanese)
- 大馬神社「御祭神・御本尊・由緒の公式案内」（2026-10-22 確認）
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