Amulets, Religious Items and Stamps

Blessings

The first, second, third and eighth heads of the Higo Hosokawa family – Fujitaka, Tadaoki, Tadatoshi and Shigetada – are enshrined as the main deities of Izumi Shrine. In total, 15 deities including the historical daimyo and Tama (Lady Gracia) are enshrined together.
Fujitaka, the first head of the family, was an exceptional warrior as well as having a broad, rich education. He contributed to the development of cultural arts such as poetry and the tea ceremony.
Notably, in waka poetry, he was the sole inheritor of the Kokin denju – an esoteric tradition of the Kokin wakashū poetry collection. He was truly a master in both the literary and military arts.
Fujitaka's oldest son, Tadaoki, took Lady Gracia – who is known for having later converted to Christianity – as his wife, and achieved a number of military feats. Notably, Tadaoki received many letters of thanks from unifier Oda Nobunaga, including one which Nobunaga penned himself. Additionally, as a leading disciple of Sen no Rikyū, Tadaoki was also an authority on the tea ceremony.
Lord Tadatoshi, the third head of the family and the first daimyo of the Kumamoto domain, excelled in the martial arts, especially swordsmanship, and invited famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi to Kumamoto in his later years.
Shigetada – the eighth head of the family – was dedicated to learning, and established the medical school Saishunkan (later Kumamoto University School of Medicine), which produced renowned scientists including Kitasato Shibasaburō.
The deities enshrined together were renowned for their military and cultural prowess, and built the foundations for Kumamoto's prosperity through their connections with others. For these reasons, they are regarded as the patron deities of Kumamoto, as well as deities of academic achievement, martial and cultural arts, business prosperity, and matchmaking and good health.