Komagata Shrine (Komagata Jinja) is a Shinto shrine located in Iwate Prefecture. It consists of the main shrine (hongū) in Nakakaminomachi, Mizusawa, Ōshū City; the inner shrine (okumiya) on the summit of Mount Komagatake in Nishine, Kanegasaki Town, Isawa District; and the village shrine (satomiya) in Hinakozawa, Nishine, Kanegasaki Town, Isawa District.
Location:
Main Shrine: 1-8 Nakakaminomachi, Mizusawa, Ōshū City, Iwate Prefecture
The shrine enshrines six deities collectively referred to as Komagata Ōkami (“Great Deity of Komagata”):
• Amaterasu Ōmikami
• Ame-no-Tokotachi-no-Mikoto
• Kuni-no-Satachi-no-Mikoto
• Akatsu-no-Mikoto
• Okise-no-Mikoto
• Hikoho-no-Mikoto
The shrine is said to worship the divine spirit of Mount Komagatake, and since ancient times, various theories have been proposed identifying this spirit with specific deities possessing human-like characteristics.
Komagata no Kami, the enshrined deity, is revered as a guardian deity of horses, and has been syncretized with Batō Kannon (Horse-headed Kannon) and Dainichi Nyorai (the Cosmic Buddha). The deity has been venerated in many parts of eastern Japan where branch shrines have been established.
The belief in Komagata as a horse guardian is thought to stem from the fact that the surrounding area was a major breeding ground for military horses in ancient times.
