Minase Shrine

3-10-24 Hirose, Shimamotocho, Mishima District, Osaka Prefecture

Minase Shrine stands on the site of an Imperial villa from the Heian period once used by Emperor Go-Toba. The shrine enshrines three emperors: Emperor Go-Toba, Emperor Tsuchimikado, and Emperor Juntoku. After the Jōkyū War, following Emperor Go-Toba’s exile to the Oki Islands, Nobushige Minase and his son Chikanari Minase—who had served the retired emperor—built a memorial hall on the former Minase Imperial Villa site to honor his spirit, and that is considered the origin of the shrine.

Selected as one of the 100 Famous Waters: Rikyu no Mizu
One of Minase Shrine’s notable features is Rikyu no Mizu, a spring chosen for the Environment Agency’s list of 100 Famous Waters. This spring water has long been used as an offering to the deities, and many visitors still come to collect it. It is said that Sen no Rikyū favored this water, and a tea-offering ceremony using it takes place each year in the shrine’s tea room, Toshintei (Toshin-tei Tea Room). Visitors may take up to 20 liters home per person. Water collection hours are from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.