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
Tanaka Tenmansha Shrine
Oita
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Oita Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and patro...
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Tenjin Shrine
Kochi
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Kochi Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and poli...
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Tenjin Shrine
Kochi
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Kochi Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and poli...
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Tenjin Shrine
Kochi
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Kochi Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and poli...
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Tenjin Shrine
Kumamoto
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Kumamoto Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and p...
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Tenjin Shrine
Nara
Sugawara no MichizaneTenjin Shrine in Nara Prefecture is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified spirit of learni...
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Tenjin Shrine
Nara
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Nara Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and polit...
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Tenjin Shrine
Wakayama
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Wakayama Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and p...
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Tenjin Shrine
Gifu
Sugawara no MichizaneTenjin Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and politic...
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Tenjin Shrine
Gifu
Sugawara no MichizaneTenjin Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and politic...
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Tenjin Shrine
Gifu
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Gifu Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and poet...
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Tenjin Shrine
Gifu
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Gifu Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and polit...
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Tenjin Shrine
Gifu
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Gifu Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified spirit of a 9th-c...
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Tenjin Shrine
Gifu
Sugawara no MichizaneTenjin Shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified spirit of a 9th-century scholar, po...
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Tenjin Shrine
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Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and poet who became the patr...
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Tenjin Shrine
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Sugawara no MichizaneTenjin shrines are dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a 9th-century scholar, poet, and politician w...
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Tenjin Shrine
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Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and politician who became th...
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Tenjin Shrine
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Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified spirit of a prominent Heian period s...
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Tenman Daijizaiten Shrine
Kanagawa
Sugawara no Michizane, Hakusan deity, Inari deityA syncretic shrine in Kanagawa Prefecture that uniquely combines three major Japanese religious trad...
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Tenman Shrine
Kochi
Sugawara no MichizaneTenman Shrine is a Tenjin shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and politic...
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Tenman Shrine
Kochi
Sugawara no MichizaneTenman Shrine is a Tenjin shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and patron...
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Tenman Shrine
Kochi
Sugawara no MichizaneTenman Shrine is a Tenjin shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and politic...
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Tenman Shrine
Kochi
Sugawara no MichizaneA Tenjin shrine in Kochi Prefecture dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deified scholar and poet...
View shrine →Jump to Shinto shrines across Japan — 108 prefectures in our directory.
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