Aoi Aso Shrine (青井阿蘇神社) 青井阿蘇神社
The first National Treasure in Kumamoto, and the first shrine to become one in 47 years.
Founded in 806, it was the guardian shrine of the Kuma area. The present buildings were built between 1610 and 1618. On 9 June 2008 five of them (the main hall, the corridor, the offering hall, the worship hall and the two-storey gate) were declared 国宝, that is, National Treasures, the highest grade: it was Kumamoto's first 国宝, and no shrine had been designated one for forty-seven years.
Kumamoto
Hitoyoshi
