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It is a Sōja shrine. It enshrines all the kami of the shrines in Shinano Province. Whenever a new governor of Shinano Province was appointed he would be sent to the shrine to worship all the gods of the province.[6]
The shrine was founded by Azumi people who migrated from Kyushu.[1][13] The migrants searched extensively across Japan until they eventually found the Azumino valley and settled there, giving up their nautical lifestyle for an agricultural one.[1][13] This is why the shrine worships the sea gods Watatsumi and Hotakami[ja] despite being inland.[1][13] It is an agriculturally focused shrine.[1]
Honden: These are three small buildings for gods. The central one is for Hotakami no Mikoto.[1]
The buildings are rebuilt every twenty years in the process of Sengu. This keeps old building methods alive.[1]
There is also a museum of local culture on the premises.[1]
Myojin Pond
Myojin Pond
At the Hotaka Shrine in Azumino City, there is an annual festival at which people express their gratitude for the gift of water. In the city, there is a traditional spot in which all three rivers (Azusa, Karasu and Nakabusa), as well as the water from the melted snow of Kamikochi's mountains, meet. Kamikochi mountain holds a great significance to the Azumi people as the water which flowed down this mountain was once used to irrigate their crops.[18] Using this water, the people of Japan perform the rituals known as "Omizu-tori" (taking water) and "Omizu-gaeshi" (returning water), whereby the water is deemed to rightfully return to the Myojin Pond.[18] During this celebration, the Azumi People commemorate their direct connection to water and their gratitude for it as it has always assisted them – both in their history as skilful seafarers and crop farmers.[19]
The Myojin Pond in Kamikochi, Japan attracts both traditional descendants of the Azumi people, as well as tourists. It has a clear, mirror-like reflection, and is classified as one of the most revered places to worship the deities of the Azumi people.[20]
Today, the Myojin Pond accommodates many visitors as the water that lays within is a reminder of the culture, tradition, and history of the Azumi people.[21]
Branch shrines
The shrine has many branch shrines across the region.[4] some include
Okumiya Branch: It's near Myojin Pond in Kamikochi. Here, they remember the Azumi clan's sea roots.[1]
Minemiya Branch: It's on top of Mt. Oku-Hotaka. It's for Wadatsumi no Mikoto. It's a place for hikers to pray.[1]
Festivals
Every year, there is a big festival. The festival celebrates local gods and the sea.[1]
Obisha Matsuri is held every March.[1][23] Priests shoot arrows at targets. It is said if they accurately hit the target there will be a good harvest.[23] Visitors take the arrows home with them for good luck.[23]
1 2 3 4 5 Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697, translated from the original Chinese and Japanese by William George Aston. Book II, page 73. Tuttle Publishing. Tra edition (July 2005). First edition published 1972. ISBN978-0-8048-3674-6
1 2 3 Akima, Toshio (1993). "The Origins of the Grand Shrine of Ise and the Cult of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami". Japan Review. 4 (4): 143. ISSN0915-0986. JSTOR25790929.
1 2 3 Tsugita, Masaki (2001) [1977]. 古事記 （上） 全訳注[Complete Translated and Annotated Kojiki, Part 1]. Vol.38. 講談社学術文庫. p.205. ISBN4-06-158207-0.
Jinchōkan Moriya Historical Museum, ed. (2015). 神長官守矢資料館のしおり (Jinchōkan Moriya Shiryōkan no shiori) (in Japanese) (3rded.).
Kanai, Tenbi (1982). 諏訪信仰史 (Suwa-shinkō-shi) (in Japanese). Meicho Shuppan. ISBN978-4626001245.
Kodai Buzoku Kenkyūkai, ed. (2017). 古代諏訪とミシャグジ祭政体の研究 (Kodai Suwa to Mishaguji Saiseitai no Kenkyū) (in Japanese) (Reprinted.). Ningensha. ISBN978-4908627156.
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Glossary of Shinto 
