According to legends, Namba Yasaka Shrine was once called Naniwa Shita-no-Miya, and was known to people as the a place to worship Namba's protector, Gion Gozutenno. The date the shrine was established is unknown, as detailed documents no longer exist. However, as it is said that temples and other small Buddhist constructs lined the grounds, it appears that it was originally a site that combined both Shintoism and Buddhism. After the Meiji Restoration, the temples were abolished as part of the separation of belief systems. The current main shrine was completed in 1974. Every year on the third Sunday of January, the shrine, which worships Susanoo-no-Mikoto, holds a tug-of-war event based around his defeat of Yamata-no-Orochi, which saved the people from turmoil. In the era of Emperor Nintoku, a plague spread across the entire vicinity and Gion Gozutenno appeared, bringing about the end of the illness. This is said to be the beginnings of the shrine. Osaka's first designated intangible folk cultural property, the lion-shaped building (emaden) is particularly impressive, with a height of 12m, width of 11m, and depth of 10m.