Aoi Aso Shrine, National Treasure Shinto shrine in Hitoyoshi, Japan
Aoi Aso Shrine is a Shintō site in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, known for its five pavilions with steeply pitched thatched roofs. The two-story gate opens onto a courtyard surrounded by forest, where the wooden structures with red pillars and curved ridges stand side by side.
The site was founded in the year 806 when a deity was separated from the larger Aso Shrine to the north. The current buildings were erected between 1609 and 1613 under regional lord Nagatsune Sagara, who completed the structures in the final phase of the Momoyama period.
The name refers to Mount Aso, whose deity has been worshipped here for over a thousand years. Locals visit especially during the traditional festivals in summer and autumn, when dancers in historical costume move through the courtyard and the site becomes the heart of the town for a few days.
The site sits about a ten-minute walk south of Hitoyoshi station, reached along a footpath through a residential neighborhood. The best light for viewing arrives in the late morning, when the sun filters through the trees and illuminates the roofs.
The buildings received National Treasure status in 2008, becoming the first architecture in Kyūshū to earn this designation in 55 years and remain the southernmost structures in Japan with this recognition. Their location in the remote mountains helped preserve the original construction with few alterations over the centuries.
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