Love & Matchmaking
Prayers for good matches, rekindled love, and harmonious marriage. A blessing is not a promise, but a signpost for setting yourself in order through prayer.
KyotoKifune Shrine
Head shrine of the water deity, on the banks of the Kifune River.
KyotoShimogamo Shrine (Kamo Mioya Jinja)
An ancient shrine of matchmaking, deep in the Tadasu-no-Mori forest.
NaraOmiwa Shrine
One of Japan's oldest shrines, whose sacred body is Mount Miwa itself.
MieShinmei Shrine (Ishigami-san)
The ama divers' shrine, said to grant one wish to every woman.
MieTsubaki Grand Shrine (Tsubaki Okamiyashiro)
Head shrine of Sarutahiko no Okami, the deity who opens the way.
WakayamaKumano Nachi Taisha
The grand shrine of the Musubi-no-Miya, praying beside Nachi Falls.
TokyoTokyo Daijingu
Known as "Tokyo's Ise," a shrine devoted to musubi — the tying of bonds.
TokyoMatsuchiyama Shoden (Honryuin)
Asakusa's beloved Shoden temple, where wishes are entrusted to daikon radishes and drawstring purses.
TokyoKanda Myojin (Kanda Shrine)
The guardian shrine of old Edo, enshrining Daikoku, Ebisu, and Lord Masakado.
TokyoToranomon Kotohiragu
Edo's "Konpira-sama," at rest amid the office towers.
KanagawaEnoshima Shrine
An island of three sanctuaries enshrining the Munakata goddesses — one of Japan's three great Benzaiten.
KanagawaKuzuryu Shrine (Hongu)
The nine-headed dragon deity at rest on the shore of Lake Ashi, with a monthly rite on the thirteenth.
TochigiNikko Futarasan Shrine
A shrine of Onamuchi, deity of en-musubi, at rest within the World Heritage precincts of Nikko.
ShizuokaFujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha
Head shrine of all Sengen shrines, where Mount Fuji itself is worshipped.
IshikawaShirayamahime Shrine
Head shrine of sacred Mount Hakusan, enshrining Kukurihime, goddess of reconciliation.
ShimaneIzumo Oyashiro (Izumo Grand Shrine)
The grand shrine of en-musubi, where the myriad gods of Japan gather.