Koma Shrine

The shrine was founded in 716 CE by Prince Go Yak'gwang (高若光) of the Goguryeo kingdom of Korea.[2] The Prince was dispatched to Japan to garner support for the Goruryeo Kingdom following an invasion by Silla and Tang dynasty China, but ended up settling in Japan, along with approximately 1,800 other Koreans.[3] Japanese emperor entitled prince Yakgwang as state king position and the people governed the territory allocated until about 13C.

Following the annexation of Korea by Japan, the Koma Shrine was used as a symbol by Japanese government officials, including Governor-General of Korea Jirō Minami, for the assimilation and unification of the Korean and Japanese people.[3][4] In 1934 the Koma Jinja Hosan-kai was founded in order to preserve and restore the shrine, headed by then-Minister of Colonial Affairs Hideo Kodama.[4]

Koma Shrine maintained cultural relevance after World War II, and it was written about by prominent Japanese authors such as Eiji Yoshikawa and Ango Sakaguchi.[4]

The shrine has more recently been fashioned as a symbol of Japanese-Korean friendship, and is endorsed by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[4]

Approximately 300,000 tourists visit the shrine annually.[4]

The shrine deifies a Prince Go Yak'gwang (高若光) of the Koma clan (later known as Genbu Jakkō (玄武若光)) who arrived in Japan fleeing political unrest in Korea.[2] Yakgwang reportedly introduced the cultivation of silkworms and mulberry, leading to his deification as Koma Myojin following his death.[3]

Its priests are believed to be descendants of the Koma family.[5] The shrine is currently presided over by Koma Fumiyasu, whom according to the Koma-shi keizu genealogical scroll is a sixty-second generation direct descendant of Jakkō.[3][4]