About Togakushi Shrine
Togakushi Shrine is located in Togakushi Village, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, and is part of the Jōshin’etsu Kōgen National Park. It consists of three branches, Togakushi hokosha, Togakushi chūsha, and Togakushi okusha, and has been a sacred place of mountain faith and Taoism since ancient times, and is now popular as a tourist attraction.
The area where Togakushi Shrine is located is full of cedar trees that are hundreds of years old, and there is a 900-year-old Sanbon cedar tree in the shrine grounds that has been designated as a national natural monument and is very valuable.
The three branches of the shrine are separated by 2 kilometers, and the lowest one, called Hosokosha, is said to have been built in 1058, and the pillars and beams of its worship hall are carved with dragons and other designs, which is worth seeing. The uppermost branch shrine is called Ojasa, which is the main shrine of Togyo Shrine, and although it is said to have been built in 210 B.C., it has never been confirmed.
Togyo Shrine has a long history and is very solemn. Every year, a summer festival is held, and visitors have the opportunity to watch a traditional folk event, kagura, based on mythology, which is a lively event.
How to get there
If you are using a train, please get off at Nagano Station.
Buses and cabs are available from in front of the station.
Local Buses
Alpico Kotsu Bus
Please take the bus bound for Togakushi Plateau via Loop Bridge from bus stop No. 7 (in front of the General Information Center in front of Nagano Station of Alpico Kotsu Bus). (about 1 hour)
Hogakusha: Get off at Togakushi Hogakusha Shrine.
Naka-sha: Get off at Togakushi Naka-sha
Okusha: Get off at Togakushi Okusha Entrance
In winter, the bus does not stop at the Okusha bus stop because it goes to Togakushi ski resort.
Please walk or take a cab from Naka-sha.
Tips
This is the “Togakushi Shrine Okusha”, the last shrine visited on the five-shrine tour.
Togakushi Shrine consists of five shrines: Okusha, Naka-sha, Hogo-sha, Kutouryu-sha, and Hinomiko-sha. We finally arrived at the shrine after passing through the “Suishinmon Gate” along the approach lined with cedar trees, which gave us a sense of history.
But although I arrived at the shrine, I found it to be a surprisingly small and compact “Togakushi Shrine Okusha”. The goal may be a little bit different from what we expected. It is a common occurrence.
The deity is said to be Amaterukinushi no Mikoto (the god of sports and victory), who opened Ama-no-Iwato, where Amaterasu hides.
Website
https://www.togakushi-jinja.jp/
