Ujigami Shrine, Shinto shrine in Uji, Japan.
Ujigami Shrine is a Shinto sanctuary in Uji featuring three inner structures built side by side, with the central one being larger than the others. These wooden buildings are arranged in close proximity to form the main shrine complex.
The shrine was built around 1060 and is Japan's oldest standing shrine building, confirmed through wood analysis studies. This medieval wooden structure has survived for nearly one thousand years without major reconstruction.
The shrine enshrines Uji no Waki Iratsuko in the left hall, Emperor Ōjin in the centre and Emperor Nintoku on the right; the name Ujigami derives from the old title Rikyū Myōjin, linked to the prince's detached palace once sited here. The spring Kiriharasui, the last surviving of Uji's Seven Famous Waters, is still used for purification. On 1 June a new-tea offering ceremony is held with Uji tea merchants attending.
The shrine is located along the north side of the Uji River within a ten-minute walk from Keihan Uji Station. The walk from JR Uji Station takes about fifteen minutes, making the site accessible from either train station.
Kiriharasui, a spring in the shrine grounds, is the only surviving one of the seven famous waters of Uji, a group of springs once prized for tea making. The other six no longer flow. The shrine's own water is still drawn at the site.
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