The head shrine of the forty thousand Hachiman shrines, founded at Usa in 725, with three halls that are a National Treasure.
Usa · OitaA shrine at Takachiho that worships the cave where the sun goddess is said to have hidden, leaving the world in darkness.
MiyazakiA sacred highland at 970 meters on Mount Kirishima's slopes, legendary in Japanese mythology as where the heavenly grandchild descended to rule.
Kirishima · KagoshimaA shrine below the peak of Takachiho in Kagoshima, its vermilion halls of 1715 made a National Treasure in 2022.
Kirishima · KagoshimaA shrine on the coast of Miyazaki whose vermilion hall stands inside a sea cave, with a rock said to have nursed the god born there.
Nichinan · MiyazakiTwo shrines on one site at the western tip of the Shimane Peninsula, rebuilt in the 1630s and holding a National Treasure suit of armour.
Izumo · ShimaneShrine near Matsue with three halls side by side, where the gods gather each November to remember Izanami, and home of the UNESCO-listed Sada Shinno dance.
Matsue · ShimaneMankusen Shrine in Izumo is said to be the last stop for the gods of Japan before they return home.
Izumo · ShimaneGuardian shrine of Aomori dedicated to the Three Goddesses of Munakata, with a sacred spring and historic remains including haiku stones by Matsuo Basho.
AomoriKumano Hongu Taisha, heart of the Kumano Sanzan, traces its origins to before Emperor Jinmu - where legend says three moons descended to found the shrine.
Tanabe · WakayamaKumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu, Wakayama, is one of the three grand Kumano shrines, known as a land of rebirth where pilgrims have long sought renewal.
Shingu · WakayamaA shrine in Ichihara with an unusual tradition: expectant mothers borrow a small purse left unstitched at the base, for an easy birth.
Ichihara · ChibaA small, charming Inari shrine in Kawasaki, guarded by 108 stone foxes and ringed with Fuji lava - a postwar branch of Kyoto's Fushimi Inari.
Kawasaki · KanagawaFounded in 1590 in Kawagoe, Kumano Shrine honours the Kumano deities and the yatagarasu crow, drawing visitors seeking fortune, love, and protection.
Kawagoe · SaitamaShrine near Matsue known as Izumo's birthplace of fire, holding sacred fire-drills, a rice-cake ritual and Susanoo's comb festival for Princess Inada.
Matsue · ShimaneOne of the three grand shrines of Kumano, beside Japan's tallest waterfall, and home of the Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow on Japan's football crest.
WakayamaThe floating shrine of Miyajima, built out over a tidal cove, with its great vermilion torii standing in the sea off the sacred island.
Hatsukaichi · Hiroshima
