Yasui Shrine

Introduction

Yasui Shrine, also called Yasui Tenmangu, is a tiny old shrine on a slope in Tennoji's Osaka district, and a place of pilgrimage for samurai history because of 1615: after his position at Chausuyama collapsed in the Summer Campaign of Osaka, Sanada Yukimura (Nobushige) is said to have fallen under a pine here. To the right of the worship hall stands the monument marking the spot, beside a 2009 bronze of Yukimura kneeling on one knee in armour and looking into the distance; around the second-generation Sanada pine, red banners bearing the family's six-coin crest give the quiet courtyard a wartime colour. The shrine itself is older. It first honoured Sukunahikona, god of medicine; in 901 Sugawara no Michizane is said to have rested here while waiting for a wind on his way into exile in Dazaifu, and in 942 villagers enshrined him, which gave the place the name Yasui. It is therefore a Tenjin shrine for exams and healing as well. The six-coin victory amulet, cedar tablets and votive plaques at the office are the best-known souvenirs, and the goshuin carries a red six-coin seal and the words 'place where Sanada Yukimura fell' beside the plum-blossom crest. The 5 May Yukimura festival holds a memorial rite and displays, and the site of one of Osaka's seven famous springs, Yasui no Shimizu, survives in the grounds. Entry is free, six minutes from Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka, and it pairs with Ishinji, Shitennoji and Chausuyama for a half-day on the Summer Campaign.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info