According to legend, Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun, and arguably the most important kami in Shinto, spoke to the Empress and declared that she and the other gods of Japan must be enshrined in Hirota, Nagata, Ikuta, and Sumiyoshi.

The Empress Consort did as commanded, and then achieved her political ambitions.

The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period.

[1] In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian kami of Japan.

[5] The shrine is famous for its kobanomitsuba tsutsuji, azaleas with three small leaves.