Its entrance gate faces the shore, not the pond in front of it.
The small shrine, a subsidiary shrine of the great Kasuga Taisha, has its torii (the entrance gate of a Shinto shrine) facing the shore instead of Sarusawa Pond: legend says a court lady threw herself into the pond out of heartbreak. Every year, at 19:00 on the night of the autumn full moon, two decorated boats circle the pond to the sound of court music, carrying a fan of flowers that is finally thrown into the water to appease her spirit.
The shrine stands on the shore of Sarusawa Pond, at the foot of Kasuga hill, and is a dependent shrine of the larger Kasuga Taisha. Its festival, the Uneme Matsuri, falls every year on the night of the mid-autumn full moon: in 2026, on 24 and 25 September.
ℹ️ The shrine can always be visited freely, on the shore of Sarusawa Pond. The boat rite is held at 19:00 on the night of the mid-autumn full moon; in 2026 it falls on 24–25 September.
🚉 Kintetsu Nara · 5 min walk
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