Aso Shrine

photo by Sg03j · CC0

photo by Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert · CC BY 4.0

The 18-metre gate collapsed in 2016 and stood again in December 2023.

The entrance gate is as tall as a six-storey building and has two roofs one above the other: it is the largest of its kind in Kyūshū. In 2016 the earthquake brought the whole gate down; it was reassembled piece by piece and reopened in December 2023, and on the wood you can still tell the old from the new. The shrine has no ticket: you just walk in.

It is the head shrine of about five hundred Aso shrines scattered across Japan, and it venerates twelve deities of the same family, first among them Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto. Six buildings (three halls of the deities and three gates) are 重要文化財, that is, Important Cultural Properties, designated in 2007; they were built between 1840 and 1850 with money from the Kumamoto domain. The two-storey gate dates from 1850 and is counted among the three great gates of Japan.

ℹ️ The grounds are open 6:00–18:00 and admission is free; the amulet office is open 9:00–17:00. From JR Miyaji Station, on the Hōhi Line, it is 15 minutes' walk; by bus, you get off at the 阿蘇神社前 bus stop, in front of the shrine. The car park charges after the first half hour; there is also a municipal car park next to it. After the earthquake of 28 July 2026 it is advisable to check that it is open before visiting.

🚉 Miyaji · 16 min walk

Sources: asojinja.or.jp · asojinja.or.jp

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