10 Most Beautiful Shrines in Japan

There are numerous shrines situated in Japan. These shrines are mostly used as places of worship for the Shinto and Buddhist religions. They are also a very popular tourist trap in Japan. A few of the shrines are included in the list of National Treasures of Japan. Some of them are described below.

# Kunōzan Tōshō-gū

This shrine was built to honor Tokugawa Leyasu, the Japanese leader who brought an end to the infamous Japanese civil wars. It is situated in Shizuoka.

# Mii-dera

This is the main temple of the Buddhist sect of Tendai-jimon. It is famous for its bell, whose sound has been used in Japanese literature, and for the cherry trees in the compound. It is located in the town of Shiga.

# Mikami Shrine

This shrine was built to honor Fujiwara Masayuki, whose father was serving the Emperor, Kameyama. Masayuki was a hairdresser and the shrine is celebrating as being the only one which honors hair. Hair is commonly offered as a sacrifice at the shrine, and the big hair studios and wig companies tend to donate to the shrine. It is situated in the city of Kyoto.

# Hiyoshi Taisha

This shrine was built to honor the deity Sakamoto. The shrine was constructed around 2100 years ago. It is the head shrine of the more than 3800 Sanno shrines in Japan. It is situated at the foot of Mt. Hachiojiyama

# Ujigami Shrine

This shrine is the oldest shrine in Japan. It was constructed in the nagare-zukuri architectural style. It is closely linked to the Uji Shrine, being known as the upper shrine while the latter is known as the lower shrine. It is situated in the city of Kyoto and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

# Shimogamo Shrine

This shrine is also known as the Upper Kamo Shrine. It is surrounded by the forest of Tadasu no Mori, which has trees which are up to 600 years old. Shimogamo Shrine, together with the other Kamo Shrine, Kamigamo Shrine, is one of the oldest in the city of Kyoto, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

# Kamigamo Shrine

It is situated three kilometers from Shimogamo Shrine. This shrine is also known as the Upper Kamo Shrine. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one oldest shrines in the city of Kyoto.

# Daigo-ji

This shrine is one of the most important in the Shingon religion. It is situated in the city of Kyoto and is a World Heritage site.This shrine was built in 874, and was originally intended for use as a hermitage. It is situated in the city of Kyoto. It is called Daigo after one of the five periods of Buddha’s teaching. It is a designated World Heritage Site.

# Toyokuni Shrine

This shrine was built to honour Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a warlord who was part of three people who unified Japan. The construction, which began when Hideyoshi was still alive, stopped after his death and it is still incomplete to this day.

# Kitano Tenmangū

This shrine was built to honour Sugawara Michizane, a Japanese politician and scholar. Michizane was murdered by his rivals, and so this shrine, and others, were built to honour his memory. It is situated in the city of Kyoto.