The Morioka Hachimangū was established in 1062 during the late Heian period when Minamoto no Yoriyoshi brought a bunrei of the Minamoto clan’s tutelary shrine, the Iwashimizu Hachimangū in Kyoto to pray for victory in his campaign against the Abe clan in the Former Nine Years War. It was originally called the Hatomori Hachimangū (鳩森八幡宮). The shrine was rebuilt in 1593 by the Nanbu clan to be the protective shrine for Morioka Castle.
Under the State Shinto system of shrine ranking from 1871 through 1946, the Morioka Hachimangū was officially designated as a "prefectural shrine". The Edo-period shrine structures burned down in 1884. The present main structure dates from 2006.
Shinto belief
The shrine is dedicated to the veneration of the ShintokamiHachiman. Hachiman has been recognized as an amalgamation of the semi-legendary Emperor Ojin and his consort, Empress Jingū.[3]