Atsuta Shrine
热田神宫 · Aichi Prefecture · Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City
A great shrine housing the Kusanagi Sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, revered since ancient times alongside Ise Shrine; its grounds cover about 200,000 square metres, its approach is lined with ancient trees, and it draws more than 9 million visitors a year.
Know before you go
- Walking down the centre of the approach
- raising your voice in the grounds
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
Legend
Yamato Takeru and the Kusanagi Sword
Tradition says Yamato Takeru died on his way home from his eastern campaign, and his widow enshrined his belongings and the Kusanagi Sword in a shrine at her home in his memory. Later these relics and the sacred sword were moved to the present site of Atsuta Shrine, which the Kojiki gives as the shrine's origin.
Source: Wikipedia: Atsuta Shrine
Legend
The Sword Stolen and Returned
It is said that in the reign of Emperor Tenji the Kusanagi Sword was stolen from Atsuta and was not returned until the reign of Emperor Temmu. The Eyodo Shinji, held at the shrine every 4 May, commemorates the sword's return.
Source: Wikipedia: Atsuta Shrine
History
The Nobunaga Wall
In 1560, after his victory at the Battle of Okehazama, Oda Nobunaga donated a 7.4-metre roofed earthen wall to Atsuta Shrine in gratitude; this Nobunaga-bei still stands in the grounds. The wooden Kaijo-mon gate built with it was a National Treasure and was lost in an air raid on 17 May 1945.
Source: Wikipedia: Atsuta Shrine; Simple English Wikipedia: Atsuta Shrine
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
Atsuta Shrine stands in Jingu, Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, and is familiarly called Atsuta-sama or simply Miya. It is said to have been founded during the reign of Emperor Keiko (71–130) to house the Kusanagi Sword; it venerates Atsuta-no-Okami together with five deities linked to the legends of the sacred sword: Amaterasu, Susanoo, Yamato Takeru, Miyazu-hime and Take Inadane. Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Tokugawa family all funded the upkeep of the shrine's buildings. In 1893 the shrine was rebuilt in the Shinmei-zukuri style, the same style as Ise Shrine; many buildings burned in air raids during the Pacific War, and the main buildings, including the honden, were rebuilt by 1955. The Bunkaden treasure hall, completed in 1966, holds more than 4,000 objects, including 174 Important Cultural Properties and a dagger designated a National Treasure, as well as bugaku masks and old documents; the swords are displayed in the Kusanagi-kan, built to celebrate the start of the Reiwa era. The shrine holds more than 70 ceremonies and festivals a year, and its annual grand festival, the Atsuta Festival, falls on 5 June.
Local customs
- Walk the approach to worship
- see swords, bugaku masks and old documents in the Bunkaden and Kusanagi-kan
- try local snacks such as Miya kishimen, Nagoya's flat noodles, around the approach
- come for the bugaku ritual on 1 May or the Atsuta Festival on 5 June to see classical court dance and lanterns lit at night.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- Walking down the centre of the approach
- raising your voice in the grounds
Locals appreciate DO
- Purify your hands and mouth at the temizuya before worshipping
- keep to the side when passing through torii and along the approach
- keep quiet in the grounds
- follow the photography rules in the treasure hall
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- The grounds are free to enter
- the treasure hall charges separately, with fees and opening hours as officially announced
- the New Year visit and festival days are crowded, so visit at off-peak times
- the grounds are large, so allow plenty of walking time.
- The shrine is a few minutes' walk from Meitetsu Jingu-mae Station, and Jingu-Nishi and Temma-cho stations on the Meijo subway line and JR Atsuta Station are also nearby
- it is about 15 minutes by train from Nagoya Station. You can visit all year
- the New Year visit is the liveliest, and in summer the grounds are deep in green shade.
Photos
Photos
Bariston · CC BY-SA 4.0
Immanuelle · CC BY 4.0
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