Ujigami-Jinja Shrine

Ujigami Shrine is a shrine in Uji City, Kyoto, and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 as part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto." Founded in 1060 (Kohei 3), its main sanctuary, designated a National Treasure, is the oldest surviving Shinto shrine architecture in Japan. The enshrined deities are Uji no Wakairatsuko, Emperor Ojin, and Emperor Nintoku, and the three shrines stand side by side. The worship hall in front of the main sanctuary was built in the Kamakura period and is said to be a remaining example of shinden-style architecture. The precincts also include a Kasuga Shrine that enshrines the guardian deity of the Fujiwara clan, who flourished in the Heian period, and it also served as a tutelary shrine for Byodo-in Temple. Beside the worship hall springs forth Kirihara-sui, once counted as one of the "Seven Famous Waters of Uji." During the Muromachi period, Uji tea prospered, and as water is essential for tea, these "Seven Famous Waters" were designated; however, the other six have been lost, and only Kirihara-sui remains today. The shrine stands almost directly across the Uji River from Byodo-in. From Byodo-in, cross the Asagiri Bridge over the Ukishima sandbar and climb Mount Asahi to reach Ujigami Shrine.