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
Kasuga Shrine
君津市, 千葉県
HachimanLocated in the city of Kiyosu, Chiba Prefecture, Kasuga Shrine is one of Japan's most famous Shinto...
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Kasuga Shrine
君津市, 千葉県
KasuganekoKasuga Shrine, located in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is one of Japan's most famous and historica...
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Kasuga Shrine
君津市, 千葉県
Kasuga OkamiLocated in the city of Kamakura, Prefecture of Kanagawa, but originally from the region of Yoshida,...
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Kasuga Shrine
君津市, 千葉県
Kasuga Shrine, located in Kinu City, Chiba Prefecture, is one of Japan's most famous and historic Sh...
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Kasuga Shrine
君津市, 千葉県
Inari OkamiKasuga Shrine is one of Japan's oldest and most revered Shinto shrines, located in the city of Kasuk...
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Kasuga Shrine
君津市, 千葉県
HachimanKasuga Shrine, located in Kinzan City, Chiba Prefecture, is one of Japan's most famous and historic...
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Kasuga Shrine
Nagano
Amaterasu ŌmikamiKasuga Shrine, located in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture, is one of Japan's most famous and infl...
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Kasuga Shrine
Kanagawa
Located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kasuga Shrine is one of Japan's most famous Shinto shrines, renowned...
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Kasuga Shrine
Kyoto
TsuchikamiKasuga Shrine is one of Japan's most famous and historic Shinto shrines, located in the heart of Kyo...
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Kasuga Shrine
Nagano
Kasuga okamiKasuga Shrine is one of Japan's most famous and historic Shinto shrines, located in the town of Yama...
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Kasuga Shrine
Shizuoka
Susanoo-no-MikotoKasuga Shrine, located in Shizuoka Prefecture, is one of Japan's most famous and ancient shrines. De...
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Kasuga Shrine
Ibaraki
Kashinagatsumi-no-kamiKasuga Shrine is a prominent Shinto shrine located in the town of Kasuga, Ibaraki Prefecture. Dedica...
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Kasuga Shrine and Tenmangu Shrine
Nara
Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, Sugawara no MichizaneA dual shrine complex combining Kasuga and Tenmangu traditions, representing both the protective kam...
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Kasuga Taisha
Kochi
Fujiwara ancestral deities and protective kamiKasuga Taisha is a prominent Shinto shrine dedicated to the Fujiwara family's ancestral deities. The...
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Kasuga Taisha Otabisho
Nara
Four Kasuga deitiesAn important auxiliary shrine serving as the otabisho (temporary resting place) for Kasuga Taisha's...
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Kasuga-jinja
南丹市, 京都府
Takamitsu-no-okamiKasuga-jinja Shrine is a revered Shinto site in Kyoto, dedicated to the worship of the god Takamitsu...
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Kasuga-jinja Shrine
Shiga
Kasuga-okamiKasuga-jinja Shrine is a sacred Shinto site located in the mountains of Iwanaoka, Shiga Prefecture....
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Kasugayama Benzaiten Shrine
Gifu
Benzaiten (goddess of water, music, and wisdom)A shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess who became integrated into Shinto worship as a...
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Kasukabe Hachiman Jinja Haiden
Ibaraki
HachimanLocated in the city of Kasukabe, Ibaraki Prefecture, Kasukabe Hachiman Jinja Haiden is a Shinto shri...
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Kasume Inugashira Shrine
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Local protective deitiesA local Shinto shrine serving the community as a tutelary shrine, maintaining traditional worship pr...
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Kasuoka Shrine
Shiga
Kasuoka Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Kasuoka, the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. T...
View shrine →Jump to Shinto shrines across Japan — 108 prefectures in our directory.
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