They say Ikukunitama Shrine got its start when the gods Ikushima-no-kami and Tarushima-no-kami were enshrined in Ishiyamazaki, the area around present-day Osaka Castle. Ikukunitama Shrine is listed in the Engishiki, an ancient book of government statutes, as a shrine of the highest rank. Burnt down in 1580, Toyotomi Hideyoshi rebuilt the shrine in its current location when he built Osaka Castle. Although the current main building is a post-World War II concrete reconstruction, it retains its unique Momoyama period architectural style. Visitors flock to the shrine on certain dates every year. On June 30th, the Oharae Ceremony is held to ward off bad luck and illnesses. The Ikutama Summer Festival is held on July 11th and 12th. Osaka Takigi Noh, an outdoor Noh festival, is held on August 11th and 12th, and the Hikohachi Festival, a festival for Yonezawa HIkohachi, the creator of Kamigata rakugo comic storytelling is held on the first Saturday and Sunday of September.