ox-headed heaven king), the god of pestilences, and Susanoo, two deities that have been conflated together.

Shrine legend, unsupported by any historical documentation, claims that the shrine was founded in Tsushima by the semi-legendary Emperor Kōrei (343-215 BCE) to worship Gozutennō's aramitama (its violent side), which remained at Izumo-taisha, and it's nigemitama (calm aspect) which came to Japan from the Korean peninsula after stopping in Tsushima Island, between Korea and Japan.

In the Sengoku period, the Oda clan built Shobata Castle in the vicinity of the shrine, and the family crest of the Oda clan is the same emblem as that used by the Tsushima Shrine, indicating a close connection.

In 1920, the Honden of the shrine, which was built in 1605 under the patronage of Matsudaira Tadayoshi, was designated an Important Cultural Property.

During the festival, boats called danjiri (車楽) are floated on the Tennō River, and reeds are released into the water.