Emperor Heizei
The origins of the shrine are uncertain. The shrine claims to have been founded in 806 AD by Emperor Heizei as a branch of the famous Kumano Sanzan shrines in Kii Province, and the shrine was associated with the provincial temple of Dewa Province. However, an alternative history states that the shrine was built in the late Heian period by Taira no Koremori by order of Emperor Go-Shirakawa. In either case, the shrine was patronized by the successive feudal lords of the region, including the Date clan, Mogami clan and Uesugi clan. After the Meiji restoration and the creation of State Shinto, the shrine was ranked as a Prefectural Shrine.