Takachiho Shrine

Takachiho Shrine is one of the most important shrines in the area, as it serves as the representative shrine of all eighty-eight shrines in the eighteen neighborhoods of the Takachiho area. It is said to date back over 1,900 years. The first three mythological generations of Japan’s imperial line are honored at Takachiho Shrine. This includes the kami deity Ninigi no Mikoto, the first ruler of the earth and grandson of the sun kami deity Amaterasu. The shrine reveres Mikeiri no Mikoto, a direct descendant of Ninigi and an older brother of Japan’s first emperor. Mikeiri is considered locally to be the first governor of Takachiho. In local legend, he saved the inhabitants of the area by defeating the fearsome kami deity Kihachi who terrorized them. Mikeiri has thus long been thought to ward off misfortune.