Oniwa Shrine stands along the Hozu River and was established to combine several shrines that were once scattered throughout Sengan-en.

From the Edo Period onward, various shrines were worshipped within the grounds of Sengan-en. However, after the abolition of the feudal domains in 1871, many additional shrines were relocated. As a result, shrine buildings became dispersed across the garden.

Over time, having so many separate shrines made ceremonies difficult to manage. In 1918, Shimazu Tadamoto, the 30th head of the Shimazu family, built a new shrine on the former site of the Hachiman Shrine and brought all the shrines together into one. This became today’s Oniwa Shrine.

Since then, Oniwa Shrine has been carefully maintained as the guardian shrine of Sengan-en. Even today, annual festivals are held here on March 15 and November 15.

Near the shrine, along the pathway, stone markers inscribed with the names “Hachiman Road” and “Inari Road” remain. These markers preserve the memory of the shrines that were once scattered throughout the garden.