The original construction of Takase Jinja is uncertain. Worship of
Ōkuninushi was widespread in the
Hokuriku region from before the
Nara period and is believed to have been brought to this area by migrants from
Izumo. The shrine claims to have been founded during the reign of the semi-legendary
Kofun period Emperor Keikō (reigned 71–130 AD) The first mention of the shrine in historical records is in an entry in the 780 AD
Shoku Nihongi when it was recorded that the shrine was granted the rank of Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下). Per the 795 AD
Nihon Kōki it was promoted to Junior 5th Rank, Upper Grade, and the 840 AD
Shoku Nihon Kōki states that it was promoted from Junior 4th Rank, Lower Grade to Junior 4th Rank, Upper Grade, and per the 854 AD
Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku, it had been accorded Junior 3rd Rank. Per the 859 AD
Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku, it had advanced to Senior 3rd Rank. While these are indications of its high status, in the
Engishiki records compiled in 927 AD it is listed as only one of seven minor shrines in Tonami County of Etchū Province. However, late in the
Heian period, the
provincial capital of Etchū was relocated to Tonami, and the Takase Jinja was elevated to an
ichinomiya and was greatly enlarged. Under the
Shinbutsu-shūgō movement joining Shintoism and Buddhism, it once had 300 Buddhist chapels. This period of prosperity was short-lived. With the growth of the
Ikkō-shū movement in Etchū and the various battles of the
Sengoku period, the area around the Takase Jinja was devastated, and it fell largely into ruin. After the establishment of the
Tokugawa shogunate and the creation of
Toyama Domain, the shrine was revived with the patronage of the
Maeda clan. Following the
Meiji restoration, with the establishment of
State Shinto in 1872, the shrine was originally designed as a "prefectural shrine" under the a
Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines, but was later raised in status to a in 1923. The shrine is located a 40 minute walk from
Fukuno Station on the
JR West Jōhana Line. ==Gallery==