Kirishima Jingū, Shinto shrine in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Kirishima-jingū is a Shinto shrine in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture. Its worship hall, offering hall and main hall, rebuilt in 1715 by Shimazu Yoshitaka, are joined under dark grey tiled hip-and-gable roofs on a raised stone base reached by shallow steps. Vermilion pillars and beams frame white panels; a curved polychrome transom with gold ornaments hangs over the entrance, and sake barrels rest beneath the side roofs.
Originally built on the summit, the place of worship moved downhill in the 10th century after several eruptions. The present site was chosen after 1484, and the current buildings date from the early 18th century.
The shrine's name links it to Mount Kirishima, where the deity Ninigi no Mikoto is said to have descended. Until the Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism it was called Nishi Gozaijo Kirishima Gongen, with an Eleven-faced Kannon in the main hall and the temple Karinji as its betto-ji. About 100 rituals are held each year, among them the Tsuitachi Festival on the first of every month and the Tsukinami Festival on the 19th.
You reach the grounds via a winding road through the forest, and a large parking area sits beside the entrance. Access to the main buildings requires climbing stone steps that can become slippery in rain.
Near the entrance stands a cryptomeria cedar over 800 years old, reaching a circumference of more than 7 meters (23 feet). Visitors often touch the trunk because people believe the tree grants longevity.
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