Aoi Aso Shrine

Aoi Aso Shrine is in Kami-Aoi-machi, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture. For centuries it has been the principal shrine of the Hitoyoshi and Kuma region, and in the Edo period it was called Aoi Daimyojin. On June 9, 2008, five buildings, the main hall, corridor, offering hall, worship hall and two-story gate, were designated National Treasures.

According to tradition, the shrine began in 806 when deities of the three Aso shrines were enshrined at Aoi village in Kuma District. It was greatly revered by successive heads of the Sagara clan, who ruled the area; Sagara Tameyori had the shrine buildings built in 1491, and in 1597 the shrine was made the principal shrine of all shrines in Kuma District. It became a village shrine in 1872 and a prefectural shrine in 1935. The present buildings were constructed between 1610 and 1613 on the initiative of Sagara Nagatsune and others.

The highlight is the two-story gate, completed in 1613. It is a hipped-roof, thatched gate in the Zen style with Momoyama-period touches, and demon faces are set beneath the corner rafters of the upper story, a design locally called the "Hitoyoshi style." It was the first thatched shrine or temple building to be designated a National Treasure. The main hall has a copper-plate roof in the nagare-zukuri style, showing features typical of Kuma-region architecture. The worship hall has a curved gable porch, and Kuma Kagura is performed at the kagura hall. The thatched offering hall has distinctive interior decoration.

The annual festival, Okunchi, runs from October 3 to 11. A fire-prevention rite is held on the 3rd, a purification and offering rite and an evening Kuma Kagura performance on the 8th, and a divine procession on the 9th. The official site also mentions the Aoi no Mori National Treasure Memorial Hall.

The shrine recorded a flood depth of 4.3 meters in the July 2020 heavy rains. The official site gives no visiting hours or fees, so please check by phone before your visit.

Viewing the National Treasure buildings from outside takes about 30 minutes to an hour. Combined with the ruins of Hitoyoshi Castle (about 1.3 km), you can see the castle town of Hitoyoshi in half a day. It is about 2.3 km from Hitoyoshi IC on the Kyushu Expressway and within walking distance of Hitoyoshi Station.