The enshrined deities are the husband and wife deities Futsunushikami and Futsunushihimekami. In the early Heian period, the shrine is said to have been dedicated to Kudara no Sukunenagatsugu and his ancestors, the Asukado clan. As a major and minor official shrine listed in the Engishiki and Jinmyocho, which list the deities enshrined there, the shrine was designated a "meisha" (grand shrine) and an imperial envoy was dispatched from the imperial court during festivals. The shrine building was destroyed by fire during Oda Nobunaga's attack on Takaya Castle, but was rebuilt during the Edo period by Kakuho, the head priest of Kongorin-ji Temple (Miya-dera). Within the shrine grounds, many historic remains remain, including the "Okusu no Kubizuka" (Great Kusunoki Tomb), where Lord Kusunoki Masashige's head was secretly hidden to escape enemy eyes after his death in battle, and the "Hayato Stones," a pair of unusual stone statues carved with the faces of humans and beasts.