Fuchi Shrine is located in Fuchimachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Inasa. It is a historic shrine, formerly ranked as a prefectural shrine. Next to the shrine is the “Fuchi Shrine Station” of the Nagasaki Ropeway, from where visitors can ride directly to the summit of Mount Inasa.
The shrine enshrines the three Munakata goddesses—Tagorihime no Mikoto, Ichikishimahime no Mikoto, and Tagitsuhime no Mikoto—as its main deities. In the auxiliary hall are worshiped Amenominakanushi no Kami, Takamimusubi no Kami, Kamimusubi no Kami, Sugawara no Ōkami, and Konpira Ōkami, reflecting a multilayered tradition of faith.
The origins of Fuchi Shrine trace back to when Ryūsen, the founder of Enmeiji Temple, established Hōjusan Manpukuji Temple, with Benzaiten enshrined as the tutelary deity. However, during the Tenbun era (1532–1555), both the temple and the shrine were destroyed in the Christian uprising and remained unreconstructed for a long time. It was not until 1634, in the Kan’ei era, that Manpukuji Temple and the Benzaiten Shrine were rebuilt together and revered as the general guardian of Fuchi Village. In 1868, following the government order of separation of Shinto and Buddhism, Benzaiten—regarded as the Buddhist counterpart of Ichikishimahime no Mikoto—was replaced by the enshrinement of the three Munakata goddesses, and the shrine was formally named “Fuchi Shrine.” It was ranked as a village shrine in 1874 and elevated to a prefectural shrine in 1943. In the final stage of World War II, the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 caused the main hall to collapse, and it was not rebuilt until 1960.
Within the precincts are several subordinate shrines, such as Hōju Inari Shrine, dedicated to the gods of prosperity and performing arts; Kuwahime Shrine, enshrining Lady Kuwahime, daughter of Ōtomo Sōrin and said to have been a Christian (with its annual festival held on August 7); Takagi Inari Shrine, originally located in the residence of the Nagasaki magistrate Takagi family; and the Zodiac Shrine, dedicated to the twelve zodiac deities.
Every October, the shrine holds its grand autumn festival, the Inasa Kunchi, one of the important traditional events of the area.
