Amano Iwato Shrine

photo by Saigen Jiro · Public domain

photo by original uploader was Fg2 from english wikipedia · Public domain

Every 10–15 minutes a free guided tour takes you to see the cave where Amaterasu hid.

The Nishi-Hongū looks directly onto the cave in the cliff opposite, across the Iwato River: it is the goshintai, the object in which the kami is believed to reside, and for this reason the shrine has no inner building like the others, only a prayer hall facing the rock face. A free guided tour leaves the waiting room every 10–15 minutes and goes to the point from which the cave can be seen; anyone who arrives after the tour has started can join it. The Higashi-Hongū, rebuilt in 1956 in shinmei-zukuri style, stands on the other bank: it is where tradition holds that Amaterasu first dwelt, just after coming out of the cave.

In the myth, Amaterasu shut herself away in the cave to escape her brother Susanoo, and the world remained in darkness until the other kami persuaded her to come out. The site was re-established as a shrine in 812 by the priest Ōkami no Koreaki; the Higashi-Hongū has documented origins between 898 and 901, and the Nishi-Hongū was rebuilt in 1986. The Nishi-Hongū holds its celebrations on 2–3 May and the Higashi-Hongū on 22–23 September, on the same dates every year. About 400 metres along the river is Amanoyasugawara, the cave where tradition holds that the eight hundred thousand kami gathered to decide how to get her out – a separate place, run by the same shrine and not covered by this entry.

ℹ️ Office and amulet sales 8:30–17:00 every day. The guided tours to the cave are free (donations towards the works are welcome); groups must give notice in advance. The viewing point is wheelchair accessible, and the shrine keeps three free wheelchairs at the main office. Three car parks. Tel. 0982-74-8239.

🚉 岩戸 · 3 min walk

Sources: amanoiwato-jinja.jp · amanoiwato-jinja.jp · ja.wikipedia.org

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