After his victory over Taira Masakado in the Tengyo Rebellion in 940, Fujiwara Hidesato had this shrine built to show his appreciation to Susanoo Mikoto, to whom he had prayed for victory. The Kami of Hachiman-Sha in Kyoto’s Gion district, Susanoo, was enshrined through the kanjō process. The shrine was originally located in Oyama-shi’s Kitayama district (the current Nakakuji): its parish was the 66 neighbourhoods of the area, and it later came to be seen as the tutelary deity of Oyama Castle, also known as Gion Castle, when the latter was built in 1148. In 1159-1160, on the instructions of the then lord of the Oyama domain, Honda Masazumi (本多正純), it was moved to its present location about 1 km south of the castle ruins. Over four centuries later, in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu held a war council in the shrine, and it apparently included his retiring to a secluded chamber to pray for success in the upcoming Battle of Sekigahara. His prayers were successful , and in recognition of this land worth slightly over 51 koku was presented to the shrine, 15 of which were later made exempt from taxation. A document recording this is stored at the shrine and has been designated a cultural asset by Oyama City. A more tangible prefecturally-designated cultural asset of the shrine is a scaled down red palanquin made by artisans who made the original at Nikko Tosho-Gu and presented it to the shrine in 1658. As shown in these photos the shrine is connected to what was the Nikko Kaido by a long approach road. It looks peaceful enough in these photos, but unfortunately it has parking spots on either side of it so cars passing along occasionally spoil the serenity. The main torii of the shrine was built in 1653. Another of the interesting features of the shrine is the way in which ten in-ground shrines are grouped together, with a separate torii. To the south of the Main Hall there is a group of seven rocks. They were once in the garden of Oyama Castle. Local rumour has it that when the castle was destroyed its owner requisitioned the rocks. So distressed at this were they, the rocks, that they began crying at night, upsetting the local inhabitants. Their owner thus moved them to the shrine where happily for all concerned they ceased crying..