The second way comes from the history and an important landmark in the city. Shiogama shrine is at the top of a hill in the city. It is an important Shinto shrine in the Tohoku region. The city got its name from the shrine, but the shrine is written 鹽竈神社. The first character, 鹽, is an old character for salt. It has been replaced in the list of kanji for general use by a simpler character, 塩. The second character, 竈, or kamado/kama, means a large cooking area made of earth. The newer name uses 釜, which means an iron pot.