The Onnazuka name is derived from an episode during the Nanboku Period of the fourteenth century. Nitta Yoshioki (新田義興, on the Southern Imperial Court Side) had devised a plan to attack the Ashikaga (Northern Imperial Court) in their Kamakura stronghold. Takezawa Ukyōsuke (竹沢左京亮), who at this time was an Ashikaga retainer but whose allegiance had previously been with Nitta, became aware of this and drew up his own plan to assassinate Nitta. This involved reingratiating himself with Nitta and to this end he summoned a court lady, Shōshō-tsubone (少将局), from Kyōto, who was presumably to use her sensual wiles on Nitta. She, however, quickly realized Takesawa’s true intent and sent a letter to Nitta informing him of the plot, which duly failed. On finding out the reason for the failure, an enraged Takesawa killed Shōshō and just cast her body aside. Out of pity and compassion the local villagers gave Shōshō a proper burial in a grave which was a small mound.

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Description

About 500m from Kamata JR Station. Reflecting its origins the "official" kami of this shrine is Homuda-wake-no-Mikoto, the Hachiman kami, but as its name suggests the Onnazuka Reishin enshrining Shōshō-tsubone is its true heart. The kami of the Shirayama Sha is Shirayama-hime Ōkami (白山比咩大神i), essentially another name for Kukuri-hime Kami (菊理媛神), who while only mentioned in the Nihon Shoki in passing, and not at all in the Kojiki, is nevertheless the main deity of the Shirayama/Hakusan Jinja grouping: Kamata puts the number of such shrines at 2,717. My own database has 1,439.