The deities enshrined at Suwa Shrine are
Takeminakata-no-Kami, Yasakatome-no-Mikoto, and Homudawake-no-Mikoto.
In ancient times, they were revered as gods of hunting and agriculture; during the samurai era, as gods of war; and today, they are venerated as deities of industry, traffic safety, and matchmaking.
The shrine is believed to have been founded about 400 years ago. Originally a Hachiman Shrine, it was converted into a Suwa Shrine during Takeda Shingen’s incursion into Jōshū (present-day Gunma). It is said that Obata Owari-no-Kami, the lord of Obata Castle, invited the deity from Suwa (a process known as kanjō, the transfer of a deity’s spirit to a new location for worship).
The shrine’s magnificent and intricately crafted buildings were constructed between 1837 (Tenpō 8) and 1846 (Kōka 3), during the late Edo period.
The chief carpenter was Yazaki Zenji, a master builder of the Ōsumi school from Suwa in Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture), renowned for temple and shrine architecture. After Zenji’s death, the haiden (worship hall) and heiden (offering hall) were completed by his second son, Yazaki Fusanosuke Akifusa. The main sanctuary (honden) is considered Zenji’s final and most distinguished work, as he passed away in 1841 (Tenpō 12).
