Tado Grand Shrine

Tado Taisha Shrine is a popular worship spot that draws many visitors from the Tokai region as well, as it is close to both Aichi and Gifu Prefectures. When traveling from Nagoya, take Kintetsu or JR to Kuwana Station, transfer to the Yoro Railway, get off at Tado Station, and then walk about 15 minutes. Mount Tado, where the shrine stands, has long been believed to be home to a deity, and a "White Horse Legend" has been passed down for some 1,500 years, telling of a white horse said to live here and deliver people’s wishes to the gods. Because the shrine enshrines Amatsuhikone-no-Mikoto, the third imperial son of Amaterasu Omikami (also enshrined at Ise Jingu), it is considered to have deep ties to Ise Jingu, and it is famously sung, "If you visit Ise, also make time for Tado—if you skip Tado, it’s only half a pilgrimage." Beside the stairs leading into the shrine grounds is a steep slope where the annual Ageuma Shinji is held, a ritual used to divine that year’s harvest. The sight of horses charging up the steep incline is truly powerful. This ritual festival, known as the Tado Festival, is also recognized as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Mie Prefecture, and during the season it attracts crowds of worshippers from across Japan.