Mishima-taisha seems to have
already existed in the Nara period
(710-794). Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199), the
founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, prayed here for good luck in the
war against the rival Taira Clan - see
alsobattle
of Dannoura.
The main hall was totally destroyed by fires and earthquakes in later
years. During the Edo period (1600-1868), Mishima became an important post-town of
the Tôkaidô
