It first appears in historical documentation in an entry in the Shoku Nihongi dated April 737, when it is recorded that offerings were made to "Chikushi Sumiyoshi" and to Ise Grand Shrine in response to disrespectful actions by the kingdom of Silla in the Korean Peninsula.

In 878, it was placed under the direct protection of the Imperial Court after an oracle at [[ Kashii-gū]] warned of a possible attack by Silla.

Takezaki Suenaga's Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba depicts the vermilion torii gate of Sumiyoshi Shrine.

During the Sengoku period, the shrine records and old documents were taken by Ōuchi Yoshitaka to Yamaguchi and were destroyed in the Tainei-ji incident of 1551.

In a total of three excavations up to 2014, the remains of a mansion from the medieval to early modern period were discovered along with artifacts related to rituals.