The shrine was founded in Kyushu during the
Nara period. Ancient records place the foundation of Usa Jingū in the
Wadō era (708–714). A temple called Miroku-ji (弥勒寺) was built next to it in 779, making it what is believed to be the first shrine-temple (
jingū-ji) ever. The resulting mixed complex, called , lasted over a millennium until 1868, when the Buddhist part was removed to comply with the
Kami and Buddhas Separation Act. Part of the remains of Miroku-ji can still be found within the grounds of Usa Jingū. Usa Jingū is today the center from which over 40,000 branch
Hachiman shrines have grown. Usa's Hachiman shrine first appears in the chronicles of Imperial history during the reign of
Empress Shōtoku. The empress allegedly had an affair with a
Buddhist monk named
Dōkyō. An oracle was said to have proclaimed that the monk should be made emperor, and the
kami Hachiman at Usa was consulted for verification. The empress died before anything further could develop. In the 16th century, the temple was razed to the ground and repeatedly attacked by the
Christian-sympathizing lord of
Funai Domain,
Ōtomo Yoshishige. The wife of Yoshishige,
Lady Nata, was the High Priestess and, alongside the Nara Clan, resisted her former husband's attacks. Usa Jingū was designated as the
ichinomiya (first shrine) for the former
Buzen Province. From 1871 through 1946, Usa was officially designated one of the
1st rank Imperial Shrines, meaning that it stood in the first rank of government-supported shrines. Other similarly-honored Hachiman shrines were
Iwashimizu Hachimangū of
Yawata, Kyoto and
Hakozaki-gū in
Fukuoka, Fukuoka.
Mikoshi Usa Jingū is considered to be the birthplace of
mikoshi. The earliest recorded use of a
mikoshi was in the 8th century during the
Nara period. In 749, the shrine's
mikoshi was used to carry the spirit of Hachiman from Kyushu to
Nara, where the deity was to guard construction of the great
Daibutsu at
Tōdai-ji. By the 10th century, carrying
mikoshi into the community during shrine festivals had become a conventional practice.
Branch shrines Over the course of centuries, a vast number of
Hachiman shrines have extended the reach of the
kami at Usa: In 859, a branch offshoot was established to spread Hachiman's protective influence over
Kyoto; In 1063,
Tsurugaoka Hachimangū was established by
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi to extend Hachiman's protective influence over
Kamakura, Kanagawa; and today this branch shrine attracts more visitors than any other shrine in Japan. == Festivals and events ==