Tatsuki Jinja Shrine is located in the Okazaki Park, which is where the Okazaki Castle was used to be. Okazaki Castle was the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu and also the place where he raised an army at the age of 29. Because of this history, there is a deep relationship between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Okazaki Castle.

According to the records of the Tatsuki Jinja Shrine, the origin of this shrine dates back to the 15th century. Legend has it, when Okazaki Castle was being built, a dragon appeared and said “I am a deity of these grounds and have lived here for a long time. If you enshrine me as a guardian with respect, I promise you I will guard this castle forever.” At the same time, the well of the castle suddenly started spraying out water and splashed on to the dragon. This caused the dragon to disappear. Ever since, the dragon has been enshrined at the top of the Okazaki Castle and is known as the guardian of the grounds.

The well from the story is called the “Dragon Well (Ryunoi)” and still exists at Okazaki Park. At the beginning of the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu was also enshrined at the Tatsuki Jinja Shrine. Later on, during the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the top of the Okazaki Castle, where the dragon and Ieyasu were enshrine, was moved to the ground and was used for the current shrine’s building. When the new shrine was built, Honda Tadakatsu, a Japanese samurai that served Tokugawa Ieyasu, was also enshrined at Tatsuki Jinja Shrine.