In Japan, a shrine (jinja, 神社) is a place of worship in Shinto, the indigenous religion that honours kami (神) — sacred spirits tied to nature, ancestors, heroes, and remarkable places. Unlike a church or temple built mainly for sermons, a shrine is a living threshold between everyday life and the sacred: a grove, a gate, a hall, and open ground where people pause, bow, and leave offerings.
Shrines appear throughout daily life in Japan. Neighbours visit a local ujigami shrine for protection; students pray for exams at a Tenjin shrine; merchants favour Inari shrines; families buy omamori charms and draw omikuji fortune slips; and at New Year millions attend hatsumōde (初詣), the first shrine visit of the year. Festivals (matsuri), weddings, and seasonal rituals still centre on shrine communities, even when faith is quiet or personal.
Many shrine grounds also overlap with the world of folklore on this site. Fox messengers at Inari shrines connect to kitsune legends; thunder kami echo Raijin; boundary stones and sacred trees often appear in yōkai tales. Understanding shrines helps place those creatures in their real cultural setting — not only as story monsters, but as beings once approached with respect at the altar.
Search by name, prefecture, city, or shrine type below. Each listing notes enshrined kami, location, and a short description where available. Open a shrine page for maps, visitor notes, and links to official sites when we have them.
30,440 shrines found
Aedohashihime Shrine
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Aedohashihime-no-kamiA small shrine in Tokyo's Chuo ward dedicated to Aedohashihime-no-kami, a protective deity of bridge...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (road and boundary deities)Dosojin shrines are small roadside sanctuaries dedicated to protective deities of travelers, boundar...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
DosojinA roadside shrine dedicated to Dosojin, protective deities of travelers, boundaries, and safe passag...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (traveler protection deity)A roadside shrine dedicated to Dosojin, protective folk deities traditionally placed at village boun...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (road and boundary deities)A shrine dedicated to Dosojin, protective deities of roads, boundaries, and travelers. These folk de...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (protective road deities)A roadside shrine dedicated to Dosojin, protective folk deities traditionally placed at village boun...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (road and boundary deities)Dosojin shrines are found throughout Japan, particularly in mountainous regions, dedicated to folk d...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (road and boundary deities)Dosojin are protective road deities commonly found at village boundaries, crossroads, and mountain p...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (road and boundary deities)Dosojin are traditional Japanese road and boundary deities found throughout Japan, particularly comm...
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Dosojin Shrine
Kanagawa
Dosojin (roadside protective deities)Dosojin are traditional roadside protective deities found throughout Japan, particularly common in r...
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Dosojin Stone Shrine
Kanagawa
DosojinA traditional roadside stone shrine dedicated to Dosojin, protective deities of travelers and bounda...
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Sae Shrine
Kumamoto
Sae no KamiA shrine dedicated to Sae no Kami, protective deities associated with boundaries, crossroads, and wa...
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Sai Shrine
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Sarutahiko no Mikoto and Amenouzume no MikotoSai Shrine is a protective Shinto shrine dedicated to road and boundary deities, traditionally servi...
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Sōtai Dōsojin
Kanagawa
Dōsojin (road and boundary deities)A traditional stone shrine dedicated to Dōsojin, the protective deities of roads, boundaries, and tr...
View shrine →Jump to Shinto shrines across Japan — 108 prefectures in our directory.
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