Religion

Hanitsu Shrine (土津神社) is in Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima Prefecture. It is dedicated to Masayuki Hoshina, the first lord of the Mutsu Aizu Domain. The Doitsu Shrine was built in 1675 on the grave site of Masayuki Hoshina, who was buried in Mineyama at the foot of Mount Bandai. The name...

Daikyō-ji (題経寺), popularly known as Shibamata Taishakuten (柴又帝釈天), is a Nichiren-shū Buddhist temple in Katsushika, Tokyo. Founded in 1629, the main image is of Taishakuten. In 1996 the Ministry of the Environment designated the temple and its ferryboat as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. In...

Kōdai-ji (高台寺, Kōdai-ji), formally identified as Jubuzan Kōdai-ji (鷲峰山高台寺, Jubuzan Kōdai-ji), is a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan—the largest sub-temple of the Kennin-ji branch. It was established in 1606 by the nun Kōdai-in (often known by the title...

Kasuga-Taisha (春日大社, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, "Kasuga Grand Shrine") is a Shinto shrine in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is the shrine of the Fujiwara family, established in 768 CE and rebuilt several times over the centuries. The interior is famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the...

The website of the German Protestant community of Kobe-Osaka (Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Kobe-Osaka, EKK), a small German-speaking church congregation in Kobe with a chequered history of 150 years. The church building is shared with the English-speaking Kobe Union Church (KUC) and forms the...

Eikandō Zenrinji (永観堂禅林寺) is the head temple for the Seizan branch of Japan's Jōdo-shū (Pure Land) Buddhist sect, located in Kyoto, Sakyō-ku. It was founded by Shinshō, a pupil of Kūkai, and is famous for its fall foliage and for its prominence in the pas

A temple of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji sect located in Akamatsu, Kawanishu, Hyogo Prefecture (in Japanese).

Official website of Natadera Temple (那谷寺) founded 1,300 years ago and dedicated to the sacred mountain Mt Hakusan. Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, near Kaga Onsen Hot Springs. Famous for Umarekiyomaru Tainai-kuguri, strange rock formations, moss and au

The official website of the Seiryūji Temple in Aomori, famous for its Showa Daibutsu statue (in Japanese).

The official website of Ushiku Daibutsu (牛久大仏), the world's largest Buddha statue standing 120 metres tall.

Jōrenji Temple (乗蓮寺) is located in Akatsuka, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo. It is famous for its Tōkyō Daibutsu.

Nanzo-in (南蔵院) is a Shingon sect Buddhist temple in Sasaguri, Fukuoka Prefecture. It is notable for its bronze statue of a reclining Buddha, said to be the largest bronze statue in the world.

Tōchōji (東長寺) is the head temple of the Shingon Buddhism Kyushu sect is named Nangakuzan. It is dedicated to a famous monk called Kobo-Daishi (Kukai). According to tradition, Kobo-Daishi set up this temple when he returned from China and prayed for the ea

Daibutsu-ji is a temple located in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. It houses the Takaoka Daibutsu, one of Japan's "Famous Three Great Buddha" statues.

Matsusaka Shrine (松阪神) is located in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture, and over 1,000 years old.

Founded in 1630, the Sugawara Shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane. It was built on the site of a former battlefield, Ide no Sawa.

Kuon-ji (久遠寺) is a major Buddhist temple in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Founded by Nichiren in 1281, it is today the head temple of Nichiren Shū. While the Ikegami Honmon-ji in Tokyo is also the Nichiren sect's administrative centre, Kuon-ji today plays

Seihaku-ji (清白寺), is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Myōshin-ji branch of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen Buddhism, located in the city of Yamanashi, Japan. Its main image is a statue of Shaka Nyōrai.

A part hands-on, part analytical, part statistical exploration of the gods and shrines of Shinto, both major and minor.

The official website of the Orthodox Church in Japan (in Japanese).