Tenjinja Shrine

Tenjinja is a shikinaisha — a shrine listed in the Engishiki register of the Heian court, which makes it old by any measure. Its halls were built in 1493 alongside an attached temple, Chushoin. When the Meiji Restoration forced the separation of Buddhism and Shinto, Chushoin was closed in 1872 and its images — Fudo Myoo, Yakushi Nyorai, Kangi-o, En no Gyoja and others — were entrusted to the shrine, which has kept them safe ever since. In 1993, after two years of restoration work on the sanctuary, repainting in the original colours and the construction of a new worship hall, the shrine's vivid early appearance was brought back. Within the grounds are subsidiary shrines to Atago, Itsukushima, Matsuo, Kumano, Kasuga, Hachiman and Mikumari.