Futarasan Shrine

Nikko Futarasan Shrine is one of the three religious sites that make up the "Shrines and Temples of Nikko", a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1999. It is the oldest of the three, predating the neighbouring Toshogu, and remains the guardian shrine of the Nikko area. The shrine grew out of an ancient tradition of mountain worship centred on Mount Nantai, a 2,486-metre peak also known as Futarasan and revered as a sacred mountain. It was founded in the 8th century by the Buddhist monk Shodo Shonin, and enshrines three deities as a family: Onamuchi no Mikoto, his consort Tagorihime no Mikoto, and their child Ajisukitakahikone no Mikoto.

The father deity, Onamuchi, is better known by another of his names, Okuninushi – one of the most prominent figures in Japanese mythology and the central god of the Izumo tradition. Remembered as a god of nation-building, medicine, and agriculture, he is especially loved for his kindness in the tale of the White Hare of Inaba, and above all as a deity of love and matchmaking (en-musubi). A popular sight in front of the worship hall is the golden Yoi-en Usagi, or 'good match rabbit,' a modern statue referencing the White Hare of Inaba that has become a focus for visitors praying for good relationships.

Because the characters for his name can also be read "Daikoku", he came to be identified with Daikokuten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods and a bringer of wealth and good fortune. This connection is reflected in the shrine's precincts, which contain a statue of Okuninushi as well as figures of the Seven Lucky Gods.

Futarasan Shrine is made up of three separate sites: the principal shrine in the Sannai district of Nikko town, a shrine on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, and a shrine at the summit of Mount Nantai. Its precincts are vast, covering some 3,400 hectares and taking in much of Nikko National Park, along with Kegon Falls and the vermilion Shinkyo Bridge that marks the entrance to the Nikko shrine district.

Today the shrine is especially popular with visitors praying for good fortune and success in marriage. Its main area is free to enter, with a small admission fee for the sacred garden, and it stands immediately beside the entrance to Toshogu.