Shrines in Japan

Main halls and worship halls of Shinto shrines.

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Momoyama · Shrines · National Treasures

Osaki Hachimangu

Sendai, Miyagi

At Osaki Hachimangu you can see the shrine building completed for Date Masamune in 1607, an ishi-no-ma (gongen-zukuri) structure adorned with black lacquer and richly colored carvings. The contrast with the plain wooden Nagatoko hall in front of it is also worth a look.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Nikko Toshogu

Nikko, Tochigi

The shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, with buildings completed in 1636 in the great rebuilding ordered by the third shogun, Iemitsu. Eight structures are National Treasures, including the Yomeimon Gate, the gongen-style main sanctuary, the Karamon gates, the openwork fences and the corridors.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Kunozan Toshogu

Shizuoka, Shizuoka

At Kunozan Toshogu you can see the National Treasure shrine buildings (Honden, Ishi-no-ma and Haiden), built in 1617 on Mount Kuno where Ieyasu was buried, whose gongen-zukuri style became the model for Toshogu shrines across Japan. You can also take in the black and red lacquer and flower-and-bird carvings, the stone-step approach overlooking Suruga Bay, and Ieyasu's tomb.

Momoyama · Shrines · National Treasures

Hiyoshi Taisha

Otsu, Shiga

At Hiyoshi Taisha you can see the main sanctuaries of the Nishi Hongu and Higashi Hongu, built in the Hiyoshi-zukuri style found only at this shrine. The grounds at the foot of Mt. Hiei, with about 40 shrines, are a well-known spot for autumn leaves.

Momoyama · Shrines · National Treasures

Tsukubusuma Shrine

Nagahama, Shiga

At Tsukubusuma Shrine you can see the National Treasure Main Sanctuary, which joins two buildings of different periods, and try kawarake throwing at the Ryujin Haisho that juts out over Lake Biwa. The sanctuary is linked to the Kannon Hall of Hogon-ji by a roofed corridor.

Momoyama · Shrines · National Treasures

Kitano Tenmangu

Kyoto, Kyoto

The head shrine of all the Tenmangu and Tenjin shrines that honor Sugawara no Michizane. Its National Treasure sanctuary, built by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1607, is a Momoyama building linking the main sanctuary and worship hall through the Ishi-no-ma, and the grounds open seasonal plum and maple gardens.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Kamowakeikazuchi Shrine (Kamigamo Shrine)

Kyoto, Kyoto

At Kamigamo Shrine you can view the Main Sanctuary and the Gonden, two National Treasure buildings rebuilt in 1863, up close on a special visit. Also worth seeing are the sand cones modeled on Mount Koyama and the shrine buildings spread over a slope where two streams meet.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Kamomioya Shrine (Shimogamo Shrine)

Kyoto, Kyoto

At Shimogamo Shrine you can see the East and West Main Sanctuaries, two National Treasure buildings from 1863 standing side by side, along with the Tadasu no Mori forest to the south and the Mitarashi Pond linked to the Aoi Festival. The special viewing also takes you into the Oidono, the kitchen of the deities.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Yasaka Shrine

Kyoto, Kyoto

A shrine at the east end of Shijo-dori, known for the Gion Festival. Its National Treasure Main Sanctuary was rebuilt by the Edo shogunate in 1654, and is distinctive for covering the sanctuary and worship hall with a single great roof.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Iwashimizu Hachimangu

Yawata, Kyoto

A Hachiman shrine on top of Mount Otokoyama, where you can see ten National Treasure buildings, including the Hachiman-zukuri main sanctuary rebuilt under Tokugawa Iemitsu. Its richly colored carvings, the Nobunaga Wall and the approach path climbing from the foot of the hill are also worth seeing.

Heian · Shrines · National Treasures

Ujigami Shrine

Uji, Kyoto

At Ujigami Shrine you can see two National Treasures: the late Heian Main Sanctuary, considered the oldest surviving shrine building, and the early Kamakura Worship Hall in the shinden-zukuri residential style. Byodo-in stands across the Uji River, so the two are easy to visit together.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Sumiyoshi Taisha

Osaka, Osaka

This is the head shrine of about 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines across Japan, and its four main sanctuaries, built in 1810, are National Treasures. You can see the Sumiyoshi-zukuri style, counted among the oldest forms of shrine architecture, and the unusual layout of the halls, lined up like a fleet of ships.

Kamakura · Shrines · National Treasures

Isonokami Jingu

Tenri, Nara

At Isonokami Jingu you can see two National Treasures: the Worship Hall (Haiden), said to be the oldest surviving worship hall in Japan, and the Worship Hall of the subsidiary Izumotakeo Shrine, moved here from Uchiyama Eikyu-ji. The stone fence around the forbidden ground behind the hall and the chickens roaming the grounds are also worth seeing.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Kasuga Taisha

Nara, Nara

The tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara clan stands at the foot of Mount Mikasa. Its four vermilion main sanctuaries are National Treasures, the most orthodox example of the Kasuga style, kept in their old form by rebuilding roughly every 20 years. Some 3,000 lanterns line the grounds.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Izumo Taisha

Izumo, Shimane

Izumo Taisha's main sanctuary, dedicated to the deity Okuninushi, is a National Treasure in the ancient Taisha-zukuri style and, at about 24 m, the tallest shrine building of its kind in Japan. The treasure hall displays a giant pillar from the ancient sanctuary, unearthed in 2000.

Muromachi · Shrines · National Treasures

Kibitsu Shrine

Okayama, Okayama

At Kibitsu Shrine you can see the Honden, the only example in Japan of hiyoku-irimoya-zukuri (Kibitsu-zukuri), in which two hip-and-gable roofs are joined into one, and the Haiden attached to its front. The Narukama Shinji rite tied to the legend of the defeat of Ura and the long, straight covered corridor are other highlights.

Kamakura · Shrines · National Treasures

Itsukushima Shrine

Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima

Itsukushima Shrine's vermilion halls and corridors stand over the sea, shaped by Taira no Kiyomori in the style of Heian aristocratic mansions. Six structures, including the main shrine, the Marodo Shrine and the east and west corridors, are National Treasures, and the view changes with the tide.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Usa Jingu

Usa, Oita

At Usa Jingu, the three National Treasure halls of the main sanctuary, built in the ancient Hachiman-zukuri style, stand side by side at the upper shrine, and in the grounds you can also see the Usa torii, the lower shrine, the roofed Kurebashi bridge and a great camphor tree. The main sanctuary is normally closed and is sometimes opened during periods such as special viewings.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Kirishima Jingu

Kirishima, Kagoshima

At Kirishima Jingu you can see the vermilion Main Sanctuary, Offering Hall and Worship Hall, rebuilt in 1715, rising in stages, linked to the Chokushiden by a climbing corridor and steep stairs. The interiors of the halls can be seen during special viewings by reservation.

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Kangi-in Shoden-do

Kumagaya, Saitama

Kangi-in Shoden-do is a Shinto shrine in Kumagaya, Saitama. Its Kangi-in Shoden-do is a designated National Treasure (Mid-Edo period).

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Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Nishina Shinmeigu

Omachi, Nagano

Nishina Shinmeigu is a Shinto shrine in Omachi, Nagano. Its Main Sanctuary and Middle Gate (Front Hall) are designated National Treasures (Mid-Edo period).

Text in preparation