Koma Shrine

photo by oimo · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by Masayuki (Yuki) Kawagishi · CC BY 2.0

Founded in 716 by 1,799 refugees from the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, led by Prince Jakko.

The shrine venerates Koma no Jakko, a noble of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo (高句麗) who came to Japan in 666 as a diplomatic envoy, while his country was falling under siege from Tang and Silla. In 716 the Yamato court settled 1,799 people of Goguryeo origin from seven provinces in the area, creating the Koma district, and Jakko was its first administrator. Next to the shrine stands the old residence of the Koma family, from the Keichō period (1596–1615) and a national Important Cultural Property.

Goguryeo (高句麗), a regional power for about 700 years, fell in 668 to the alliance between the Chinese Tang dynasty and the Korean kingdom of Silla. Jakko, already settled in Japan, received the noble title of ‘king’ (王, reserved for members of foreign houses) in 703, and in 716 founded the Koma district (now Hidaka) in Musashi Province.

ℹ️ The shrine grounds are open 24 hours a day. The office (社務所) for amulets and rites is open 8:30–17:00 all year round, except at New Year: 0:00–23:00 on 1 January, 6:00–22:00 on the 2nd–3rd, 7:00–20:00 on the 4th, then normal hours from the 5th.

🚉 高麗川 · 49 min walk

Sources: komajinja.or.jp

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