This shrine is where the Tenjin Festival, one of the three greatest festivals in Japan, is held.
The shrine has a long history stemming from 650, when Emperor Kotoku built Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace.
The “Shrine of General ” was founded to the northwest of the palace as a guardian deity.
In 949, the God of Literature, Sugawara no Michizane (845~903) was deified in the precincts, thus Tenmangu Shrine was established.
The main shrine has since been destroyed by fires multiple times; the one that stands now was built in 1843.
The shrine is also a popular plum blossom spot in mid-February to early March, when 20 different species of blossoms bloom on around 100 trees.
