Tanzan-jinja

Kansai


This remote mountain shrine originated as a mausoleum for Fujiwara Kamatari (614–69), the patriarch of the Fujiwara clan that would rule court politics for the better part of the next 500 years. The unusual 13-storey wooden pagoda was first built in 678 by Fujiwara's son and last reconstructed in 1532. The main shrine building has an attractive verandah, and autumn, when the maples turn red, is the most popular time to visit.

According to legend, Fujiwara made his first power play when he met the prince who would become Emperor Tenji over a game of kemari (a kind of kickball) at Asuka-dera, an event commemorated by priests playing ball on 29 April and 3 November.

To reach the shrine, take a Tōnomine-line bus from stand 1 outside the south exit of Sakurai Station (¥490, 25 minutes, hourly).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kansai attractions

1. Ishibutai-kofun

1.98 MILES

Though other kofun remain covered in earth, Japan's largest stone burial chamber is laid bare and you can walk inside. The tomb was looted centuries ago,…

2. Asuka-dera

2.45 MILES

Considered the first Buddhist temple in Japan (founded 596), Asuka-dera houses Japan's oldest existing Buddhist statue, the Asuka Daibutsu (Great Buddha),…

3. Takamatsuzuka-kofun

3.11 MILES

This kofun was discovered by accident in the 1960s, painstakingly excavated in the 1970s and then sealed for preservation. What you'll see is a grassy…

5. Ōmiwa-jinja

4.33 MILES

Ōmiwa-jinja is thought to be one of Japan's oldest Shintō shrines. It was built to worship Mt Miwa behind it and is rare in that it has no honden (main…

6. Kashihara-jingū

4.76 MILES

This shrine was built in 1889 on the site where it was proposed that Japan's mythical first emperor, Jimmu, ascended to the throne. Its founding was part…

7. Hase-dera

5.42 MILES

The most notable feature of Hase-dera, a Shingon temple founded in the 8th century, is its 11th-century, 399-step noborirō (climbing corridor); it…

8. Kimpusen-ji

6.76 MILES

Kimpusen-ji, founded in the 7th century, is believed to be the incubator of Shugendō, a unique Buddhist sect that incorporates Shintō traditions and…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "japan/nara-prefecture/attractions/tanzan-jinja/a/poi-sig/1231703/1341206",
      "destination": "Kansai",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Japan",
      "region": "Kansai",
      "position": "superzone"
    }