Said to have been established by Empress Jingu, Aguchi Shrine houses the guardian deity for the gateway to Osaka Bay.There are two explanations for the shrine's name. One is that it was called Aguchi (open entrance) because the shrine's gate faces the sea. The other is that a god who never opened his mouth opened it for the first time when Empress Jingu made him an offering.Deeply connected with Sumiyoshi Taisha, the shrine is sometimes referred to as "Sumiyoshi's inner temple."In the year 1113, the village temples were merged and Aguchi Shrine became the patron deity for all of Sakai City. A temple, built in 746, stood on the shrine grounds until the Edo period, and people still call Aguchi "Otera-san" (temple) to this day.The shrine's picture scrolls, a collection of tanka poems composed by the emperor Fushimi, and dagger have all been designated important cultural properties. Hassaku-sai, a festival held annually in mid-September, boasts Sakai's oldest Taikodai floats.