Tokyo Shrines

After the Meiji Restoration, the Meiji government established a modern shrine ranking system based on the Engi-shiki.

Including annexes and outlying regent shrines, Ise Jingu is the largest shrine in Japan in terms of area.

The forests maintained in and around the grounds of shrines are called "chinju no mori (woods).

The general etiquette for worshipping at shrines is "Nirei Ni-Beat-Itte-Ichirei" (two beats, one bow).

There are approximately 81,000 shrines throughout Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2016).

Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Osaka Prefecture is the head shrine of the 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan. The three Sumiyoshi deities were worshipped as gods of navigation and purification.

There are 22,000 priests in Japan, of which approximately 3,000 are women.

Suwa Shrine is the head shrine of Suwa-taisha in Nagano Prefecture, and there are approximately 5,000 Suwa shrines throughout the country, with Kenmonakata no Kami as the main deity.

Visitors are required to stop in front of the torii gate and bow before passing through.

The official name of the Inner Shrine is "Koutai Jingu," which enshrines the deity Amaterasu.

It is considered good luck to dedicate an ema (votive tablet) to the left side of the shrine, with the horse facing to the left.

The prefecture with the fewest number of shrines is Okinawa Prefecture with 13 shrines.

Since Shinto originally originated from nature worship, the objects of worship are so numerous that they are said to be "eight million gods.

Miko (shrine maidens) originally played a central role in Shinto, performing kagura (Shinto music and dance), praying, divination, and micturition.

The head shrine of the Inari Shrines, said to number more than 30,000 throughout Japan, is the Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, founded in 711.

Shrines have a rank that expresses their prestige, called "Shakkaku.

The basic architectural style of shrine pavilions is the gabled gabled roof, which can be broadly divided into the "Shinmei-zukuri" style, which has its roots in the Ise Jingu Shrine, and the "Taisha-zukuri" style, which has its roots in the Izumo-Taisha Shrine.

The custom of worship at Izumo-taisha is "Ni-hai (two worships, four claps, one bow, and one bow). In addition, during the annual festival in May, the worshippers bow with eight beats of the hand.

Atago Shrine in Minato Ward, Tokyo, is located on Mt. Atago, the highest mountain in the 23 wards as a natural terrain mountain.

In 1946, GHQ abolished the system of shrine ranks, but the concept of shrine rank itself still exists today.

Since the center of the torii gate and the approach to the shrine is considered to be the path of the gods, it is customary to pass by either side of the gate.