Hachi-miya Meguri: The Pilgrimage to the Eight Shrines of Kobe

 

The "Hachi-miya Meguri" is a traditional pilgrimage to eight shrines (Ichinomiya through Hachinomiya) that serve as branches of the historic Ikuta Shrine. Local belief holds that visiting these shrines in ascending order—from the First to the Eighth—will effectively ward off misfortune and drive away bad luck.

A Personal Journey: Walking the Eight Shrines

While tradition suggests an ascending order, I chose a different path based on geography, visiting them in the order of 7, 8, 6, 5, 4, 1, 2, and finally 3.

My journey began at Shichinomiya (the 7th), located at the western edge near Shinkaichi Station. Though the area is now flat and urban, Edo-period maps reveal that this shrine once stood remarkably close to the shoreline. From there, I moved toward the Eighth and Sixth Shrines, which share a single precinct today. These two felt the most weathered and ancient of the group.

The trek became physically demanding as I climbed the steep hills along the Uji River to reach Gonomiya (the 5th). The reward was a stunning vista of the Kobe Port Tower and the shimmering waterfront. Descending through the Kitano district—crowded with tourists—I eventually reached the First Shrine at the end of Pearl Street.

My pilgrimage concluded at Sannomiya (the 3rd), the busiest of all, located in the heart of Kobe’s thriving commercial district. After a long day of "strolling and staggering" through the city, I boarded the train back to Osaka, exhausted but fulfilled.

Traveler’s Tip: For those prioritizing physical ease, I recommend the sequence: 2 → 1 → 4 → 5 → 8/6 → 7, using the subway or municipal buses (Routes 7 and 96) to save your legs on the steeper climbs.

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The Big Dipper and the Flight of the Gods

The arrangement of these shrines is shrouded in celestial mystery. It is said that the First through Fourth Shrines form the "bowl" of the Big Dipper, with Ikuta Shrine at its center, while the remaining four form the "handle."

Over centuries, however, this pattern has shifted. Gonomiya was moved to higher ground to escape the flooding of the Uji River, and Shichinomiya moved toward the coast during Taira no Kiyomori’s harbor expansion. Interestingly, the pairing of the Sixth and Eighth Shrines mirrors the binary stars Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper’s handle—a fascinating coincidence, believe it or not.

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Myth, Legend, and Geopolitics

The origins of these shrines can be interpreted through two distinct lenses: the romantic-mythical and the socio-political.

The Mythical Origins: According to legend, when the gods Amaterasu and Susano-o took their sacred vows, they gave birth to three goddesses and five gods. These eight deities are the enshrined guardians of the Hachi-miya shrines.

The Legend of Empress Jingu (Okinagatarashi): A more political interpretation links the shrines to the expedition of Empress Jingu. Historical records, such as Korea’s Samguk Sagi, detail centuries of naval conflict and "piracy" between the Japanese Wa and the Kingdom of Silla.

Whether as an invasion or a "homecoming" to her ancestral roots in the peninsula, the Empress relied heavily on the seafaring people of the Osaka Bay coast. On her return, her fleet was reportedly slowed by local demands for a share of the spoils. To navigate these social and economic tensions, she made offerings and designated these eight sites as branch shrines of Ikuta, honoring the local clans who built her warships and navigated her through the Akashi Channel.

The Mystery of Shichinomiya

A curious anomaly remains at Shichinomiya (the 7th). While it should enshrine the god Ikutsuhikone to complete the set of eight siblings, it instead enshrines Onamuchi.

This change likely reflects the influence of the Kitakaze family, a powerful local clan with a millennium-long history in Hyogo Port. Having served various authorities—from the Fujiwara and Taira clans to the Southern Court—the family may have replaced the original deity with the "VIP" god Onamuchi to solidify their own prestige. This historical substitution hints at the complex layers of power, bloodlines, and religious authority that define Kobe’s sacred geography.

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