The fishing village of Esaki os at the head of a long, narrow inlet, and so has been a sheltered harbour since time immemorial and was one of the Kitamaebune ports in the Edo period.
The local shrine is an Itsukushima Shrine, though before Meiji it was a Benten Shrine.
Benzaiten, the Hindu goddess connected to water, introduced into Japan through Buddhism, and one of the Seven Luck Gods, was equated with Ichikishimahime, one of the Munakata goddesses and the main kami of Itsukushima Shrines.
The shrine is said to have been founded before the 17th century, though I would think as the port boomed in the Edo Period it would have been well-supported by those seeking marine safety.
At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the main shrine is a substantial Miho Shrine as well as several smaller shrines..
The Miho Shrine is a branch of the main Miho Shrine in Mihonoseki and enshrines Kotoshironushi, equated with Ebisu, and famous as a kami for fishermen.
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