This shrine is dedicated to the Gods Emperor Nintoku, Onamuchi no Mikoto, and Sukunahikona no Mikoto. Locally, it is often called Yakuhachiman or Yakuyoke Hachiman (meaning, "the shrine where you can ward off evil".) Many people in the surrounding areas, even outside of Hakata, have faith in the deities of Waka Hachimangu Shrine. The shrine is often very crowded late into the night on the eve of the new year in both the western and Chinese calendars as people gather to pray for the dispelling of the evil.
For those subscribing to the Japanese belief that there are certain "yakudoshi" or "bad luck years" in everyone's lives, it is said that if you pray at this shrine the year before your yakudoshi, the year of your yakudoshi, and the year after, you will be free of bad luck the following year.