Togakushi Shrine
Five shrines beneath a sacred peak, enshrining the gods who opened the Rock Cave of Heaven.
History and Divine Virtue
Togakushi Shrine, said to carry more than two thousand years of history at the foot of the sacred Mount Togakushi, comprises five sanctuaries: Okusha, Chusha, Hokosha, Kuzuryusha, and Hinomikosha. Legend holds that the great stone door of the heavenly cave where the sun goddess Amaterasu hid was hurled through the sky and became Mount Togakushi. Okusha enshrines Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Mikoto, who wrenched the cave door open; Chusha honors Ame-no-Yagokoro-Omoikane-no-Mikoto, who devised the plan of the gods; Hokosha is dedicated to his child, Ame-no-Uwaharu-no-Mikoto; and Hinomikosha enshrines Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, who danced before the cave. Kuzuryusha, standing beside Okusha, honors Kuzuryu-no-Okami, the nine-headed dragon deity — the oldest presence on this land among the five and long worshipped as a god of water. The two-kilometer approach to Okusha runs through an avenue of cedars more than four hundred years old, which together with the Edo-period Zuishinmon gate forms the defining landscape of Togakushi. The shrine is also known for the custom of the gosha-mairi, a pilgrimage to all five sanctuaries.
Visiting Notes
- The old pilgrim route climbs from Hokosha upward through the five shrines, though there is said to be no fixed order.
- The cedar avenue on the Okusha approach and the thatched Zuishinmon gate are essential viewing. The walk to Okusha is a mountain path of about 40 minutes each way.
- Pilgrim lodgings cluster around Chusha, along with celebrated Togakushi soba restaurants. Winter visits to Okusha call for proper preparation for snow.
Kuzuryusha is the oldest sanctuary of the water element at Togakushi. It is said to hold a deep affinity with those whose birth chart carries mizunoe or mizunoto — the stems of water — and if you make the round of the five shrines, let your bow at Kuzuryusha be the most careful of all.
Deities and Location
- Enshrined Deities
- Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Mikoto, Ame-no-Yagokoro-Omoikane-no-Mikoto, Kuzuryū-no-Ōkami, Ame-no-Uwaharu-no-Mikoto, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto
- Location
- 長野県長野市戸隠 (Nagano)
- Access
- About 1 hour by bus from JR Nagano Station
Visiting hours, goshuin (shrine stamps), and festival dates change; please confirm the latest information through each shrine's official announcements. If you find an error in this entry, we would be grateful if you let us know.
