Otokimura is believed to have historically been part of the Otoki Manor, which belonged to Kōfuku-ji's Daijōin and Kasuga-taisha. It is thought that the deity of Kasuga was enshrined here as a result. Approximately 200 meters to the north lies the Higashinaru Kofun, and about 300 meters to the northwest is the Nishinaru Kofun. This area is also referred to as Miyama (Taiko Mountain), and it is said that a shrine was built by leveling the ancient burial mounds.
In the past, there were two shrines associated with Otsuki: Yatoki Shrine and Kasuga Shrine. It is said that the land of Yatoki Shrine was exchanged for the three-ken mound pond in Takenouchi, located approximately 400 meters to the southeast (now the site of Juuni Shrine), and Otsuki was thus reduced to a single shrine, which was renamed Yatoki Shrine.
To the west, there was the Jūraiko (Jūrasetsu Woman) Hall at the Jinguji, but it has now been relocated to the Yakushidō in the Otsuki settlement. The worship hall features a thatched roof, which is rare in this region.
The relationship with Kasuga-taisha is deep, and offerings known as "Lotus Offerings" were presented until the late Edo period. There is a tradition where Kasuga-taisha bestows its old shrines and torii gates to Yatsuki Shrine every 60 years for their use. In the 13th year of the Oei era (1406), the fourth shrine from Kasuga-taisha was bestowed upon them (as documented in Kasuga-taisha records). Additionally, on April 6th of the 2nd year in the Kansho era (1461), the monk Jinsun from Daijo-in visited for a pilgrimage (as noted in the Daijo-in temple records). The current main hall was relocated from Kasuga-taisha in the 39th year of the Meiji era.
nkonkohira
September 29, 2024

Yatsugi Shrine (やつぎじんじゃ) is a Shinto shrine located in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture. Its former designation was Murasha. It can also be written as 夜都伎神社 and is read as "yatsuki" or "yatogi." The shrine sits at the northern edge of the Otogi (乙木) settlement. It is considered one of the candidate sites for the Shikinai Shrine "Yatsugi Shrine in Yamabe District, Yamato Province" (other candidate sites include the Jūni Shrine in Takenouchi Town and the Hachikens Shrine in Taishō Town). There is also a theory that Yatsugi is a misspelling of "Otogi" (於都岐). It's possible that there may be a connection with other Hachikens Shrines found throughout the country.

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