社伝によると、和気清麻呂が八幡宮を勧請したことが始まり。猿田彦大神をはじめ四神が祭神として祭られ、一間社春日造の色鮮やかな四社殿は重要文化財に、脇社二殿も県の文化財に指定されている。また、所蔵する「紀伊国笠田庄絵図」も重要文化財である。

宝来山神社ホームページ

Horaisan Jinja Shrine
This vermillion shrine’s origins are said to date back to 773. The shrine’s main hall (honden) is a designated Important Cultural Property, and the four individual halls in which the gods are enshrined are periodically reconstructed in the same configuration as their original emplacement in 1614.

The shrine’s name, which means “the mountain that attracts treasure,” is thought to refer to the important position it has held since ancient times. Although the river has since changed course, the shrine was once positioned near an important docking area, so many goods and tribute were brought up the slope to the shrine. Horaisan Shrine’s auspicious name draws many people who come to pray for good luck, prosperity, and business success.

An ingenious series of canals near the shrine aided Horaisan in bringing prosperity to the area. Built in the late Heian period (7941185) by Mongaku Shonin (11391203), the priest who had the shrine rebuilt after it was moved from its original location, these waterways still ensure a steady flow of water to the rice fields around the shrine.