Akama-jingû is located between the main islands of Honshû and Kyûshû at the strait of Shimonoseki. The shrine was founded for the salvation of the child emperor Antoku (1178-85), who drowned in a naval battle – the “Taira” (or “Heike”) and the “Minamoto” (or “Genji”) fought in 1185 at Dan-no-ura near the present Kanmon-kyô bridge. The Minamoto forces defeated the Taira and secured their rule over Japan for the next 200 years. The shrine, which was declared an imperial burial place by Emperor Go-Toba (1180-1239) in 1191, also contains the graves of important warriors of the Taira clan and a statue of “Hoichi the Earless”.
