Karatsu Shrine is located in Minamijōnai, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. It is one of the city’s oldest and most revered shrines. Formerly known as Karatsu Daimyōjin, it was renamed during the Meiji era. The enshrined deities are the three Sumiyoshi gods (Sokototsu-no-Ōmikoto, Nakatsutsu-no-Ōmikoto, and Uwatsutsu-no-Ōmikoto), along with Karatsu’s local lord Kanda Munetsugu and the water goddess Mizuhanome-no-Kami.
According to legend, the shrine’s origins date back to the return voyage of Empress Jingū after her expedition to the Korean Peninsula. To thank the Sumiyoshi gods for ensuring a safe journey, she dedicated a sacred mirror on the Matsura coast and established a place of worship. Later, in the 7th year of Tenpyō Shōhō (755), local lord Kanda Munetsugu received a divine revelation in a dream, and upon visiting the coast, he found a floating casket containing a sacred mirror — believed to be the very offering of Empress Jingū. This was reported to the Imperial Court, which conferred the title Karatsu Daimyōjin. During the Bunji era, Munetsugu’s descendants built a shrine and enshrined his spirit together with the Sumiyoshi gods. In the early Edo period, when Karatsu Castle was built, the Terazawa clan reconstructed the shrine and designated it as the domain’s place of prayer.
In 1873, Karatsu Shrine was designated as a Gōsha (village shrine) and officially given its present name. In 1942, it was elevated to Ken-sha (prefectural shrine), and after World War II it came under the administration of the Association of Shinto Shrines.
The shrine’s most famous festival is the Karatsu Kunchi, held annually from November 2 to 4. It is one of the region’s most important traditional events, renowned for its magnificent parade of hikiyama floats, and has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. Other annual rites include the Spring Grand Festival on April 29 and the Autumn Grand Festival on October 29, both drawing worshippers and visitors alike.
Within the precincts are cultural landmarks such as the monument inscribed with Kitahara Hakushū’s “Karatsu Kouta” (a local folk song), and the sacred Shiori-ishi stone. The latter gained new fame after being featured in the anime Zombie Land Saga, turning Karatsu Shrine into a pilgrimage spot for anime fans.
