Great Shrines for Hatsumode in Kumamoto

Nov 27, 2024

Great Shrines for Hatsumode in Kumamoto

The turn of the year is holiday time in Japan. People are off work to celebrate the New Year with parties, family gatherings, culinary feasts, and hatsumode. Hatsumode is the year’s first visit to a Shinto shrine (or sometimes a Buddhist temple). It is traditionally made between January 1st and 3rd, when visitors line up to make wishes and leave charms at the shrine. Millions across Japan do this each year. The most popular shrines often see visitors in the thousands.

Virtually every city in Japan has some shrines that are perfect for hatsumode. The following are some of the best in Kumamoto.

Kato Shrine

Located within the grounds of Kumamoto Castle, Kato Shrine honors Kato Kiyomasa – a 16th-century samurai lord and civil engineer who was awarded the castle. First built in 1871 and then rebuilt a number of times after being destroyed, it’s one of the most popular hatsumode shrines in Kumamoto, attracting around 400,000 visitors across the three days. These visitors come to pray at the shrine for good luck, to overcome illnesses, and to pass difficult exams. There is a small stone bridge at the shrine that Kato acquired from Korea. People cross this as part of their ritual, as it is believed to bring them success.

The shrine hosts seasonal festivals as well as monthly ceremonies. As it is within the castle grounds, it offers great views of the city.

Address: 2-1 Honmaru, Chuo-ku, Kumamoro 860-0002

Aso Shrine

The spectacular Aso Shrine is within the caldera of Mount Aso. It’s also one of the oldest shrines in Japan, believed to date back to 281 BCE. Its immense two-story, copper-roofed hall of worship was destroyed in the city’s earthquake in 2016, but reconstruction was finally complete on December 7, 2023 – just in time for hatsumode that year.

Twelve deities are worshipped at the shrine, including Takeiwatatsu, who is linked to the sun god Amaterasu. Visitors make their hatsumode to pray to this deity for agricultural prosperity and protection from traffic accidents. Aso Shrine also holds important cultural festivals, such as Hifuri-Shinji and Onda Matsuri. It’s a 20-minute walk to the north of Miyaji Station.

Website: http://asojinja.or.jp/ (in Japanese)
Address: 3083-1 Ichinomiyamachi Miyaji, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2612

Kokuzo Shrine

Another of Kumamoto’s ancient shrines, Kokuzo in the Teno area is just 6 km north of Aso shrine, meaning it is worth combining a visit to both. Plus, it serves as a good hatsumode alternative if the line for the Aso shrine is too long.

The Kokuzo Shrine is believed to date from around 100 BCE. Its main attraction is the remains of the sugi tree that is part of the shrine. This is said to have lived for around 2,000 years, until it fell in a typhoon in 1991. The shrine itself is a wooden structure at the top of some steps. It is associated with four deities, whom visitors pray before to ask for agricultural prosperity. You can also see the Kamiokura tomb here.

Address: 2110 Ichinomiyamachi Teno, Ichinomiya, Aso Shi, Kumamoto 869-2601

Takahashi Inari Shrine

Located to the west of Kumamoto city is the brightly-colored Takahashi Inari Shrine, lined with red torii gates. This is one of the Shinto shrines linked to the god Inari, who takes the form of a fox (kitsune). It is similar to the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, but it’s smaller and not quite as old, having been built in 1496. The shrine is most popular for its Hatsu-Uma festival in February and annual festival in November, but it also attracts sizable crowds for the hatsumode, when visitors bring offerings of sake and rice.

Address: 9-6-20 Kamidai, Nishi Ward, Kumamoto 860-0068

Yuge Shrine

For a unique hatsumode experience, consider visiting Yuge Shrine. It’s an especially good choice if you’re hoping to start or expand your family, as this is where couples in Kumamoto come when they want to pray for a child. They leave offerings of homemade phalluses and even sit together on one of the phallic structures to improve their chances of conception. In fact, the shrine is for fertility of all types, including fertile harvests of crops.

A couple other reasons people come to the shrine is to prevent their partners from being unfaithful and cure a bad back, which requires crawling through a torii gate. Plus, the shrine located next to the river, which makes it a picturesque spot to welcome in the new year.

Address: 6-21-20 Tatsudamachi Yuge, Kita Ward, Kumamoto 861-8002

Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine

One of the most beautiful shrines in Kumamoto is Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu. It used to be relatively unknown (which made it a great choice for hatsumode), but social media has now brought it fame. For the best experience, walk through the cedar tree forest up the long staircase, which is lined with moss-covered lanterns. If you’re lucky, the forest may be covered in a blanket of snow. Make sure you walk through the rock archway called Ugetoiwa to achieve your goals in coming year.

Address: 2619 Kamishikimi, Takamori, Aso District, Kumamoto 869-1601

Takachiho Shrine

Takachiho Shrine is the head shrine of 88 in the area. If you’re looking for a shrine to visit with your partner for hatsumode (and are not interested in improving your fertility!), this may be your best option due to the presence of the so-called couple tree (Meoto Sugi). This is actually two trees that have grown entangled together. It’s traditional for couples to make a wish and then walk around the trees three times in a clockwise direction – this will ensure their wish comes true.

Address: 1037 Mitai, Takachiho, Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki 882-1101

Reggaeman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons