Nishikiyama Tenmangu Shrine in Ebetsu is a historic shrine that dates back to the Meiji era. It has been loved by locals for a long time, and it seems that there are many interesting discoveries to be made when you stroll around the grounds. Let's take a look. Nishikiyama Tenmangu Shrine was founded in 1889 as a spiritual anchor for the Nopporo Tondenhei soldiers who settled here in 1885 and 1886, and began as a place to enshrine and worship the spirit of the deity from Ise Grand Shrine. In 1973, a branch of the spirit of Sugawara no Michizane was enshrined at the shrine from Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Kyushu, and the shrine was renamed from Nishikiyama Shrine to its current name, Nishikiyama Tenmangu Shrine. Therefore, during exam season, not only local junior and senior high school students, but also students from all over Hokkaido visit the shrine to pray for success. Now, there are several points about this historic and honorable Nishikiyama Tenmangu Shrine that are sure to be interesting for tourists, so we will introduce them to you. The first thing we want you to pay attention to is the main hall. Can you see that the foundation is made of bricks, which is unusual for a shrine? Ebetsu is known as a brick town. Even in places like this, you can see the unique character of Ebetsu. To the right of the main hall is a plum garden, which adds beautiful color to the grounds during plum season. Furthermore, on the building in front of the plum orchard, there is a sign that reads "Ebetsu City Tonden Museum." In fact, this is the oldest surviving Tondenhei headquarters building. It was built using a construction technique called "balloon frame," and is designated as a tangible cultural property of Hokkaido. In the lush grounds, you can see a sign that reads "Kinzan Ryokuchi." While enjoying forest bathing and gazing at the trees... Hokkaido squirrels were busy scurrying about. We were able to spot these cute residents all over the temple grounds. Last but not least, Nishikiyama Tenmangu Shrine has the "Ezo Mikuji." This is a series of local Hokkaido fortunes, with motifs of local specialties and famous products from all over Hokkaido. Each shrine has its own unique twist, but here you can actually operate a remote-controlled crane to draw your fortune. Since this shrine is located in Ebetsu, what local specialty is the motif for the Ezo Mikuji? The answer was the brick-themed "Silo Fortune Telling"! This subtle pun is also part of the charm of Ezo Mikuji. Nishikiyama Tenmangu Shrine is full of fun discoveries, so please visit and pray at the shrine. You will surely discover more charms that we could not introduce here. <Kinzan Tenmangu Shrine> Address: 38-1 Yoyogi-cho, Nopporo, Hokkaido Phone number: 011-383-2467 Official site: https://www.nishikiyama.or.jp