According to shrine tradition, the original Take Shrine was established on the site of the Takemikazuchi Palace (mentioned in the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese text) or Enomiya (mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, another ancient text), where Emperor Jinmu stayed for seven years during his eastern expedition.[1][2][3] However the status of the shrine gradually declined over time from being one of the three great shrines, and its location was lost during the Edo period.[3]
Its treasure house is one of the few remaining buildings of Hiroshima Castle.[3] The Take Shrine's treasure house managed to survive a fire in 1915.[6]
Ichinomiya and Soja are not the same thing but were sometimes combined[7]
Sōja (総社) is a type of Shinto shrine where the kami of a region are grouped together into a single sanctuary. This "region" may refer to a shōen, village or geographic area, but is more generally referred to a whole province. The term is also occasionally called "sōsha". The sōja are usually located near the provincial capital established in the Nara period under then ritsuryō system, and can either be a newly created shrine, or a designation for an existing shrine. The "sōja" can also be the "ichinomiya" of the province, which themselves are of great ritual importance.[8]
Whenever a new kokushi was appointed by the central government to govern a province, it was necessary for him to visit all of the sanctuaries of his province in order to complete the rites necessary for ceremonial inauguration. Grouping the kami into one location near the capital of the province greatly facilitated this duty,[9]
The first mention of "sōja" appeared in the Heian period, in the diary of Taira no Tokinori, dated March 9, 1099 in reference to the province of Inaba.[10]
