Ōmiwa Shrine

Omiwa Shrine is located in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, and enshrines Mount Miwa as its sacred object. It is regarded as Japan’s oldest shrine and is also known as the ichinomiya (principal shrine) of the ancient Yamato Province. Access to Omiwa Shrine is about a five-minute walk from Miwa Station on the JR Manyo Mahoroba Line. Mount Miwa has long been worshipped as the dwelling place of the deity Okuninushi-no-Okami and appears in ancient texts such as the "Kojiki" and "Nihon Shoki." Unlike most shrines, Omiwa Shrine has no main sanctuary; worshippers pray toward Mount Miwa through a triple torii gate behind the worship hall. Cedar trees from Mount Miwa, often praised in classical poetry as the sacred cedars of Miwa, later inspired the tradition of cedar balls (sugidama) used as symbols by sake breweries. From the Omiwa no Mori Observatory within the grounds, visitors can see the Yamato Sanzan mountains—Mount Kagu, Mount Unebi, and Mount Miminashi. On the first day of every month, a special monthly worship event is held, accompanied by a morning market selling fresh vegetables and flowers.