Mikado Shrine is an ancient and solemn Shinto shrine in Misato Town, Higashiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture. It is closely associated with the history and legends of the ancient Kingdom of Baekje, on the Korean Peninsula. The deities enshrined here include Ōyamatsumi-no-Kami, King Jeongga of Baekje, Ukanomitama-no-Mikoto, and Hondawake-no-Mikoto (Emperor Ōjin). The main sanctuary is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, reflecting the shrine’s considerable historical and cultural significance.
Mikado Shrine is traditionally said to have been founded in 718 (Yōrō 2). According to the shrine’s historical account, during the reign of Empress Kōken in the middle of the Nara period, in 756 (Tenpyō-Shōhō 8), King Jeongga of Baekje and his sons, Fuchi-o and Kachi-o, drifted ashore on the coast of Hyūga, in what is now Miyazaki Prefecture.
According to the tradition, King Jeongga settled in Mikado, while his sons Fuchi-o and Kachi-o took up residence in what is now Kijo Town. They received support from a local figure known as Masumi Tarō, or described in another version as a person who “saw and understood much.” The king and his sons were respected by the local people and, after their deaths, came to be worshipped as deities.
The Shoku Nihongi, an official Japanese chronicle, records that on the fourth day of the ninth month of 759 (Tenpyō-Hōji 3), people from Silla had recently been arriving in Japan seeking to become naturalized, and that ships carrying them continued to arrive without interruption.
This historical record provides evidence of movement to Japan from the Korean Peninsula, including people from Silla and Baekje, during that period. It offers historical context for the traditions associated with Mikado Shrine.
The legends surrounding Mikado Shrine have been recorded in four historical documents. Their accounts differ in some respects, reflecting the variety of traditions that developed around the shrine and the Baekje royal family.
The four documents are the Chronicle of Mikado Shrine (Mikado Jinja Engi), written in the sixth month of 1755 (Hōreki 5) by Minamoto Mitsuaki; the Chronicle of Hiki Daimyōjin (Hiki Daimyōjin Engi), dated the seventh day of the seventh month of the same year and also written by Minamoto Mitsuaki; the Record of Visits to Historic Sites in Hyūga (Hyūga Kyūseki Kenbunroku), compiled by Kasahara Dōjun in the intercalary seventh month of 1712 (Hōei 9); and the Tsukushi Diary (Tsukushi Nikki), in the entry dated the nineteenth day of the intercalary second month of 1792 (Kansei 4).
The first two documents were written by Minamoto Mitsuaki, a Shinto priest at Sannō Shrine in Yamanashi District, Kai Province. Their opening sections are copies of an older document known as the Hiki Hokyūki, while the later sections include Minamoto’s own historical research and interpretation.
Although the two chronicles share much of their content, there are some differences in their wording and details.
Kasahara Dōjun compiled this account based on information he gathered during a visit to the area. Unlike the other traditions, it does not mention a connection with Baekje. Instead, it describes the deity enshrined at Hiki Shrine as a “foreign general.”
The Tsukushi Diary is a travel journal written by Takayama Hikokurō. In its description of the deity at Mikado Shrine, it records two different traditions: that the figure was a king of Baekje, or that he was a child of Minamoto no Yoritomo.
These differing accounts show how the identity of the enshrined figure has been interpreted in various ways over the centuries.
Mikado Shrine preserves a number of objects associated with King Jeongga of Baekje. Among its treasured possessions are 24 mirrors traditionally handed down as relics of the king. Near the shrine buildings stands a marker inscribed “Ancient Tomb of Emperor Jeongga of Baekje.”
Numerous historical objects are also said to have been stored in the roof space of the shrine building. These include iron halberds, iron arrowheads, large Sue ware pottery jars, straight swords dating from the Kofun period, bronze bells, and horse bells known as bataku. The presence of these objects has led to the suggestion that the shrine may once have served as a local storehouse for weapons and military equipment.
The main sanctuary was built in 1661 (Kanbun 1). It is constructed in the seven-bay nagare-zukuri style, a traditional Shinto architectural form characterized by an elongated, flowing roof over the front of the building.
The sanctuary is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan and is an important part of the shrine’s architectural and historical heritage.
The Shiwasu Festival, held jointly by Mikado Shrine in Nango, Hyūga, and Hiki Shrine in Kijo Town, is a traditional festival with a history said to extend back approximately 1,000 years. It takes place in the twelfth month of the traditional lunar calendar, generally around the final week of January in the modern calendar.
During the festival, the sacred object representing Fuchi-o, enshrined at Hiki Shrine in Kijo Town, makes a ceremonial journey of approximately 90 kilometers to meet his father, King Jeongga, at Mikado Shrine. This ritual reenacts the legend of the Baekje royal family and their separation after arriving in Hyūga.
The Shiwasu Festival was designated a Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property on January 25, 1991 (Heisei 3), in recognition of its cultural and historical significance.
The shrine is also associated with cultural properties designated by Miyazaki Prefecture. These include 33 bronze mirrors dating from the Kofun period through the Muromachi period, as well as a wooden votive image of Kannon Bodhisattva, painted by the Buddhist monk Bikū Chōzon in 1401 (Ōei 8).
These cultural treasures are preserved in the West Shosoin, a facility established to house and display historical materials connected with the region.
From Hyūga-shi Station on the JR Nippo Main Line, walk to the Miyazaki Kotsu bus stop in front of the station known as Miyako-machi. Take a bus bound for Mikado. The journey takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. Get off at the Kudara no Yakata-mae bus stop; Mikado Shrine is just a short walk from there.