In  the  year  901, scholar-politician  Sugawara  Michizane  became  a  victim  of  politics  and  was  exiled to  Kyushu.  He  stopped  at  Onomichi  on  the  way,  giving  away  a  kimono  sleeve  as  thanks  for  the  hospitality.  Later  revered  in  Shintoism  as  the  god  of  learning,  the  shrine  honors  him.