Hodosan Shrine

The first emperor of Japan is enshrined here

I only learned after my visit, thanks to an article by @thehikingalto, that Hodosan shrine enshrines the Emperor Jimmu who founded Japan. Within knowing this at the time of my visit, with my husband as my witness as I declared it to him in the car park of the shrine, I instantly felt an atmosphere as we approached the torii of the shrine. The benevolence of the shrine is believed to be protection from disasters. It is a common place for hikers to pay homage as one of the three Kami (Gods / Deity) enshrined here is a mountain deity. But it is also because the shrine has a sub branch at the top of Mt Hodo. The architecture of the almost 2000 year old shrine is magnificent. The various auxiliary shrines are impressive too. And the grounds are beautiful. It is easily accessible by public transport too, as you can walk up from Nagatoro station in about 10 to 15 minutes.