Oiwa Shrine, Shinto shrine in Hitachi, Japan.
Oiwa Shrine is a Shintō site at the foot of Mount Oiwa in northern Ibaraki Prefecture. The complex includes several structures linked by stone pathways that wind through groves of tall cedar.
The site predates written records and first appears in the Hitachi Fudoki during the Nara period. Over centuries, the shrine grew into a place where many deities are honored together.
This shrine stands out in Japanese religious practice by enshrining 188 deities, while most Shinto shrines typically house only one or two gods.
Visitors can borrow walking sticks from the shrine office before heading up the mountain paths. The climb to the summit takes about 40 minutes.
A cedar with three trunks, more than 500 years old, stands at the start of the trail. Beyond it rises a two-story gate guarded by statues of protective figures.
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