The Ogami Shrine is said to be the oldest shrine in Hachinohe. Its history has been traced as far back as the late Heian era, but the shrine may well be older than that. The Horyo Kagura folk dance, which was originally performed by mountain ascetic priests, has been handed down through the generations. The dance is still performed at the shrine every year during the Horyo Kagura Festival, which is held on the second Sunday in May. The Ogami Shrine is also known as the birthplace of the Hachinohe Sansha Taisai, a UNESCO listed festival.

The shrine is also mentioned in the Yoshitsune’s Flight North, a local legend from the Tohoku region in which the famous samurai hero Minamoto Yoshitsune secretly escaped his death at Hiraizumi and traveled north. The shrine has a mirror that is said to have been the favorite of Yoshitsune’s wife and is home to the “Origins of the Ruike Inari Daimyojin,” where details of the legend of Yoshitsune’s journey to the North was written down.