Meotogi Shrine Himenomiya
昇仙峡 夫婦木神社
Women's shrine dedicated to matchmaking and marital harmony, paired with a counterpart 2 kilometers away, sacred to traditional fertility worship.
Meotogi Shrine Himenomiya is a Shinto shrine near the Shosenkyo Ropeway, in the Shosenkyo gorge area of Kofu. It is known for blessings of matchmaking, marital harmony, and the wish for children, and is popular with couples.
The shrine is one half of a pair. The Himenomiya, or "princess shrine", is regarded as the women's shrine, while its counterpart, the main Meotogi Shrine, stands about 2 kilometres away as the men's shrine. The name Meotogi, meaning "husband-and-wife tree", refers to the ancient sacred tree worshipped at each shrine, in keeping with a long tradition of fertility worship in Japan, these trees are venerated for natural forms seen to represent male and female symbols.
The shrines have been objects of devotion since the time of the Sengoku warlord Takeda Shingen. Today they offer a range of amulets and prayers, particularly for matchmaking and the blessing of children.
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