Futarasan Jinja (Shrine) consists of a group of temple buildings which are the oldest in Nikko dating back to 1619. The predecessor was almost one thousand years older, dated back to 782 which was founded by Shodo Shonin, the Buddhist monk who introduced Buddhism to Nikko.
The Shrine is dedicated to the Shinto gods or "Kami" of Nikko's three most sacred mountains Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyoho and Mt. Taro. It is just about 30-minute walk away from Toshogu, so I made my way to Futarasan Jinja after visiting Toshogu.
The Shrine is dedicated to the Shinto gods or "Kami" of Nikko's three most sacred mountains Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyoho and Mt. Taro. It is just about 30-minute walk away from Toshogu, so I made my way to Futarasan Jinja after visiting Toshogu.
Typical in any Shinto shrine in Japan, there is always a torii leading the way into the compound of the shrine. This torii is flanked by two lanterns by its side.
As the Shrine houses many national treasures, including two swords, most of the inner areas of the buildings are closed to visitors.
So, I could just roam around at the foyer of the buildings overseeing some other small buildings around the shrine compound.
After hanging around Futarasan Jinja for about an hour, I left through the main gate waving goodbye to the oldest groups of buildings in Nikko dedicated to the Shinto gods.
