Kada Kasuga Shrine

Kada Kasuga Shrine is a Shinto sanctuary in Wakayama featuring a main hall built in the ikkensha nagare-zukuri architectural style with a roof thatched in Japanese cypress bark. The grounds house a significant collection of 20,000 dolls accumulated through generations of donations by the Kishu Tokugawa family.

The shrine was relocated to its current location during the Tensho period between 1573 and 1592 under the direction of retainer Kuwayama Shigeharu. This relocation marked a significant turning point in the sanctuary's development and its role within the region.

The shrine grounds function as a gathering place where visitors experience community traditions, especially during the annual Ebi Matsuri festival in May when processions move through the Kada district. This event demonstrates how the location remains woven into the social life of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The shrine is walkable from Nankai Kada Station and has a small number of parking spaces on the grounds for visitors arriving by car. Comfortable shoes are recommended since exploring the buildings and grounds involves walking on various surfaces.

The collection contains over 20,000 dolls assembled by the prominent Kishu Tokugawa family, representing a unique accumulation rarely found elsewhere. This makes the shrine an unexpected repository of one of Japan's largest private doll collections.