Aichi · Atsuta, NagoyaNo.469★★★Open in map →
Atsuta Jingu
— Nagoya's shrine of the sacred sword
A working shrine set in old forest in the middle of Nagoya, holding the Kusanagi sword of the imperial regalia. The grounds have no gate and no opening hours, which makes it one of the few great shrines you can walk at dawn.
- FromNagoya Station
- ~15 minMeitetsu train, 3 min walk
- Get off atJingu-mae Station (Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line)
- On foot
- Atsuta Jingu
Where it is
27 more notes in Aichi · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- Nijugocho-bashian old slab stone bridge near the eastern approach, tied by legend to the wandering poet Saigyo
- Nobunaga-beia roofed wall of clay and roof tile at the side of the main hall, named for Oda Nobunaga
- The main hallunpainted timber in the shinmei style at the head of the approach, where the sacred sword is enshrined
- Treasure hallover six thousand pieces — swords, mirrors, masks, court documents — shown in rotation
- Kusanagi-kan sword halla separate hall built to show the shrine's sword collection
How to actually get there
- Meitetsu Nagoya → Jingu-mae (Nagoya Main Line, one stop past Kanayama).
- Jingu-mae west exit → east gate of the shrine (walk ~3 min).
- East gate → the stone bridge → Nobunaga-bei → main hall.
- Main hall → treasure hall and sword hall → south exit, or back the way you came.
- Meitetsu from Nagoya Station
- Meitetsu Nagoya →(Nagoya Main Line, towards Toyohashi or Central Japan Airport)→ Jingu-mae, one stop beyond Kanayama. Leave by the west exit, which faces the shrine's east gate. Trains on this line are frequent all day, so no timetable planning is needed.
- Return from Jingu-mae
- Ride back to Kanayama, where JR and the subway also stop, or continue to Meitetsu Nagoya. Services run late into the evening. If you leave from the main hall, allow more time than the map suggests — the approach is long, and the south exit puts you further from the station than the east one.
About the place
The shrine occupies a block of old forest in southern Nagoya that people here call the Atsuta no Mori. Camphor and evergreens close over the gravel approach, and the sound of the surrounding city falls away within a minute of the torii. The main hall stands at the north end, built in the plain shinmei style of unpainted timber and a straight ridge. Set around it are the auxiliary shrine of Hakken-gu, a treasure hall, a sword hall and an old stone bridge, so the walk runs longer than the map suggests.
How to enjoy it
Because there is no gate and no fixed hour, the hour after sunrise is yours to take. Walk in from the east gate while the gravel is still damp, pay respects at the main hall, then come back down the approach as the shops near the south entrance start to open. The treasure hall and the sword hall keep museum hours, 9:00 to 16:30 with last entry at 16:00, and are a reason to come back later in the day rather than to wait around.
Background & history
The shrine dates its own founding to 113, when the widow of the prince Yamato Takeru is said to have enshrined the Kusanagi sword on this ground. That sword, one of the three imperial regalia, remains the object of worship, and Nagoya has long ranked Atsuta second only to Ise among the country's shrines. A roofed wall of clay and tile beside the main hall is called the Nobunaga-bei, after the warlord who presented it. The main hall itself is a post-war rebuilding in the old shinmei style.
Before you go
- Cash
- Walking the grounds costs nothing. The treasure hall and the sword hall each charge admission, with a cheaper combined ticket for the two and reduced rates for children; both are paid at the door. Train tickets are bought at the station machines.
- Before you go
- The grounds are open at all hours, but the treasure hall, the sword hall and the shrine offices keep daytime hours only. Over the New Year the whole district is extremely crowded and the shrine closes its car park to visitors. The gravel approach is unlit in stretches, so a very early arrival means walking in half-light.
- Another way
- JR Tokaido Main Line from Nagoya Station to Atsuta Station leaves a walk of about 8 minutes. On the subway, the Meijo Line to Atsuta-Jingu-Nishi leaves about 7 minutes on foot and puts you nearer the treasure hall than the east gate.
- After you get off
- From the west exit of Jingu-mae Station it is about 3 minutes on foot to the east gate, then a few minutes more along the wooded approach to reach the main hall.