Sanage Jinja Shrine (Left-Handed Sickle Votive Site)

According to shrine tradition, Sanage Shrine was founded in the first year of Emperor Chuai (traditionally 192 CE). It appears in the Engishiki Jimmyocho (Register of Deities, compiled 927 CE) as 'Sanage Shrine, Kamo District, Mikawa Province,' confirming its status as a shikinaisha (shrine listed in the Engishiki) with official state recognition at least by the early Heian period. Within the ninomiya system of Mikawa Province, it holds the rank of third shrine (sannomiya), and the Mikawa Province Shrine Register records it as 'Sanage Daimyojin, First Rank.' Its institutional grade has been kokuhei shōsha (small shrine receiving national offerings) since the Engi era (967), and it was listed as a kensha (prefectural shrine) under the Meiji shrine ranking system in 1872 (Meiji 5). The principal deity is Oousu-no-Mikoto (the eldest son of Emperor Keiko and twin brother of Yamato Takeru), with co-enshrined deities Emperor Keiko and Emperor Suinin. The identification of Oousu-no-Mikoto as the principal deity dates only to the early modern period; prior to that, various deities were proposed, including Sarutahiko-no-Mikoto and Keiri-hiko-no-Mikoto, and the shrine is interpreted as having originally venerated the mountain deity of Mt. Sanage. Wikipedia (Japanese) 'Sanage Shrine', Aichi Now (Official Aichi Tourism).

The custom of offering left-handed sickles (hidarigama) is a devotional practice found nowhere else in Japan. While no clear documentary record of its origin survives, oral tradition holds that, drawing on the folk belief that 'one of a pair of twins is often left-handed,' Oousu-no-Mikoto was understood to have been left-handed. The tradition of offering left-handed sickles is said to have begun as a tribute to the deity's use of a left-handed sickle during agricultural land cultivation in this region, and sickles — as symbols of 'cutting away evil' — became associated with the divine benefits of disaster prevention, healing illness, and workplace safety. Most of the left-handed sickles offered today are wooden boards or ema (votive tablets) in the shape of a sickle rather than actual sickles, a folk transformation that balances safety management with the continuity of the devotional practice. Note article 'The Principal Deity Oousu-no-Mikoto and the Left-Handed Sickle' (October 2025).

Toyota City presents Sanage Shrine as a local historical asset and features it prominently in the official tourism website 'Tourism Toyota.' The autumn festival (Sanage Matsuri) held on the second Saturday and Sunday of October includes the奉納 of Bōno-te (martial arts performance), an Aichi Prefecture-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property, which is maintained as a local annual observance by the parishioners. Worshippers range from corporate safety prayer groups to individual visitors, and a protective charm called the 'Work Amulet' modeled on the left-handed sickle is distributed as a shrine offering. Nishimikawa Gururitto Navi 'Sanage Shrine', Aichi Now.

The second Saturday and Sunday of October (Sanage Matsuri / Bōno-te dedication) are the most lively. For quiet observation of the left-handed sickle offerings, a weekday morning is recommended. The precinct's autumn foliage woodland is beautiful in November.

The votive rack displaying rows of left-handed sickle-shaped ema is situated near the worship hall; viewed from the front, a distinctive wall-to-wall composition of offerings can be captured. Morning light from the front renders the sickle shapes clearly. A composition combining the approach torii gate with the background of Mt. Sanage is also effective.

The precinct and approach are open at all hours. Climbing to the inner shrines on Mt. Sanage requires proper hiking equipment. Private property and restricted access zones exist on the mountain; stay on designated trails. During Shinto rites, worshippers have priority; do not touch the votive sickle offerings.