Itsukushima Shrine
Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan Shinto
UNESCO-listed sea shrine on sacred Miyajima, internationally famous for its offshore torii gate.
The World’s Sacred Places
Sacred Places
Discover a curated guide to significant sacred places, pilgrimage traditions, architecture, documented history and practical visitor information across cultures and faith traditions.
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Curated Discovery
Sacred Places
Browse Sacred Places selected for Templestan’s public collection.
Kumano Hongu Taisha
Hongu-cho, Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan Shinto
One of the three Kumano Sanzan grand shrines and a central destination of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage.
Ise Jingu Naiku (Inner Shrine)
Uji, Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan Shinto
Japan’s most sacred Shinto sanctuary, dedicated to Amaterasu Omikami and central to the Ise pilgrimage tradition.
Izumo Taisha
Taisha-cho Kizukihigashi, Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, Japan Shinto
One of Japan’s oldest and most important Shinto shrines, associated with Okuninushi and traditions of divine gathering and matchmaking.
Meiji Jingu
Shibuya, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan Shinto
Tokyo’s major imperial Shinto shrine, set within a vast man-made forest beside Harajuku.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Fushimi, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Shinto
Head shrine of Inari worship, internationally famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates on Mount Inari.
Kasuga Taisha
Kasuganocho, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan Shinto
UNESCO-listed Nara shrine of the Fujiwara tradition, famous for sacred deer, primeval forest and thousands of lanterns.
Kumano Nachi Taisha
Nachisan, Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan Shinto
Kumano grand shrine above Nachi Falls, joining waterfall worship, pilgrimage and a rare surviving Shinto-Buddhist sacred landscape.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Yukinoshita, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan Shinto
Kamakura’s principal shrine, historically tied to the Minamoto clan, samurai rule and Hachiman worship.
Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha
Miyacho, Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan Shinto
Head shrine of more than 1,300 Sengen shrines and a historic pilgrimage gateway for worship of Mount Fuji.
Dazaifu Tenmangu
Saifu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan Shinto
Major Tenmangu shrine built at the burial place of Sugawara no Michizane, patron of learning and scholarship.
Nikko Toshogu
Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan Shinto
Lavishly decorated UNESCO shrine and mausoleum complex enshrining Tokugawa Ieyasu.