Built in just nine days before the Emperor's 1879 visit, the shrine burned down nine years later in a fire that devastated central Matsumoto. The current buildings weren't completed until 1924.

Unlike most Shinto shrines dedicated to a single deity, Yohashira enshrines four gods at once, including the sun goddess Amaterasu and three creation deities, earning it the nickname 'Wish-Granting Shrine.'

The annual October festival features elaborately decorated wooden floats (butai) designated as Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties, parading through streets while musicians perform aboard the moving platforms.

During New Year's, lines of worshippers stretch far down the street as locals queue for their first prayers of the year, making it one of Matsumoto's most crowded spots despite being built relatively recently in 1879.