Tatsuta Taisha Shrine

Tatsuta Taisha stands at the foot of Mt. Tatsuta in Sango Town, in northwestern Nara Prefecture. It has long been known as the shrine of the Tatsuta wind gods, and it enshrines Ame-no-mihashira-no-mikoto and Kuni-no-mihashira-no-mikoto. It is only about a 5-minute walk from JR Sango Station.

According to tradition, the shrine was founded about 2,100 years ago in the reign of Emperor Sujin. At that time harvests had failed and disease was spreading. The emperor received an oracle in a dream and built the shrine as instructed, after which crops are said to have ripened and the plague retreated. The Nihon Shoki records rites for the wind god in 675, and the Engishiki later listed the shrine as a Myojin Taisha. It is counted among the Twenty-Two Shrines, was once a government shrine of the highest rank, and is now a Bekkyo shrine under the Association of Shinto Shrines.

The grounds are quiet, and the main sanctuary consists of two Kasuga-zukuri halls side by side. The crest is a double-layered maple leaf, a subsidiary shrine honors Tatsuta-hime, the goddess of autumn, and the grounds are known for autumn color. The best-known festival is the Fuchin Taisai on the first Sunday of July, with wind-god drums, sword dances and folk dances, closing with the offering of "Fujin fireworks". Other events include the Taki Matsuri on April 3 and the main festival on April 4. In 2020 the shrine became part of a Japan Heritage site together with the Tatsuta Old Road and Kamenose. Allow 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Horyu-ji is about 5 km away, and the Shigisan Nodoka Village is about 2.5 km.