Viewing Japanese Religious Structures and Architecture

The temple’s impressive repository of books preserves many national cultural assets, including the oldest extant text (designated a National Treasure) of the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters ) in Japan. As he was expanding his rule in Nagoya, Tokugawa Ieyasu removed the temple from Hashima City in Gifu Prefecture and reconstructed it at its present site. With some 15,000 volumes, the temple’s Osu Bunko, or temple library, is renowned in Japan.

Atsuta Shrine is one or the great shrines in Japan, ranking just next to Ise Shrine. It houses the sacred Kusanagi sword, one of the three imperial regalia. The shrine’s museum holds over 4,000 national treasures and important cultural assets, and every day they are shown on a rotating basis.

The shrine is known nationwide as a place where people go to pray for success and prosperity in business. There are many sites to see on the shrine’s sprawling, nearly 100,000 square meter grounds, such as the main shrine, which is completely made of zelkova wood and took over 20 years to construct, and the museum of the Toyokawa Kaku Temple.