Atsuta-jingu Shrine熱田神宮

A sacred forest with a historic Shinto shrine. Unique and lively religious services and festivals occur.

Atsuta-jingu Shrine is located nearly in the center of Nagoya and is also called "Atta-san" or "Miya." It is very popular among the locals. Atsuta-jingu Shrine is a historic shrine that is mentioned in Japan's oldest history book, the 7th century "Kojiki," and has Kusanagi-no-Mitsurugi, one of the three heirlooms, "Sansyu-no-jingi," owned by successive emperors and used as a symbol of succession to the imperial throne.

The precincts of the shrine total 200,000 square meters and are surrounded by a dense forest called Atsuta Forest. This forest gives the precincts a solemn atmosphere. The Treasury Hall inside the Bunka-den, a many-floored building constructed in 1966, stores approximately 4,000 treasures. Also inside the precincts, there are precious historic sites such as the Nobunaga-bei Wall dedicated by the 16th century general Oda Nobunaga, the Sakuma-tourou Lantern, and Nijugo-cho-bashi Bridge.

This shrine holds more than seventy ceremonies yearly, including traditional ones such as the E-youdo Ceremony, when shinto priests walk around laughing, which attract many visitors throughout the year.