Ōtori taisha 2.34

Ōtori taisha, also known as Ōtori Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Nishi-ku ward in the city of Sakai, Osaka, Japan.HistoryThe legend of the origin of the shrine states that the hero Yamatotakeru-no-Mikoto, who turned into a white swan upon his death, last stopped at the future site of the Otori Taisha. It is said that the people nearby built the shrine in order to worship white swans.The prince Yamato Takeru (originally prince Ousu), son of Emperor Keiko of the Yamato Dynasty, is enshrined here. The prince was praised for his bravery in battle and was given the name Yamato Takeru, or The Brave of Yamato, by his enemy as he died.Ōtori Taisha is believed to be in the service of the gods of literature and martial arts, and it was said that warriors often visited in ancient times.Ōtori was designated as the chief Shinto shrine for the former Izumi province. From 1871 through 1946, Ōtori was officially designated one of the '', meaning that it stood in the first rank among government supported shrines.GroundsThe shrine's grounds, which extend over 50,000 square meters, contain a quiet forest known as Chigusa-no-mori because of the seemingly endless variety of tree species which can be found there. The shrine is also known for its iris garden, which features over 100,000 flowers. There is a monument in the shrine on which a tanka poem was inscribed by Tomioka Tessai.