Main Shrine of Futarasan-jinja 二荒山神社の本殿

Official explanation

Within the shrine grounds are a number of Important Cultural Properties, ancient and sacred Japanese cedars, and natural springs.

The largest building and the focal point of the shrine is the worship hall (haiden), built in 1645 and recognized as an Important Cultural Property. Behind the worship hall is the inner sanctuary (honden), also an Important Cultural Property, which is not open to the public. It may be seen in profile from the Shrine Garden. Other buildings in the main area are the Kagura-den (a hall for sacred dances), where a large statue of Daikokuten, the god of wealth and one of the Seven Lucky Gods, is enshrined, and a very small subsidiary shrine of Hie-jinja Shrine in Tokyo.

Read the full explanation

Inside the Shrine Garden is a building that houses the portable shrines (mikoshi) where the three deities of Futarasan-jinja temporarily reside during the shrine’s annual festival in April. In the garden is a sacred spring that is said to be a fountain of youth.

Many of the very old Japanese cedars within the shrine grounds are considered sacred. One auspicious tree is said to bring luck in finding a marriage partner; a pair that are joined at the base are thought to bestow marital happiness; and another set of trees bound at the roots is thought to grant a happy home life.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.