Suwa Shrine in Nanyo City is said to have been solicited by the warlord Shimizu Mikawa Moriyasu of Nakayama Castle around 1601 (the year after the Battle of Sekigahara).

If you take a walk in the precincts, you will find sculptures such as the statue of Maria Kannon, which shows that it was a place of kakure kirishitan (hidden Christian) faith, and votive tablets that tell the story of the era when sericulture flourished.

Suwa Shrine is famous for its pretty blooming peonies. The vast site is full of 108 species, about 5,000 plants, and about 100,000 flowers, which are in full bloom from early to mid-June.