- Udojingu Shrine” was founded in B.C.? An old shrine with a history of about 2100 years
- Udojingu Shrine is a rare “descending shrine” among shrines! The shrine pavilion is located in a rock cave.
- Udojingu Shrine” has a luck test! Make your wish come true by throwing a luck ball.
- Access to Udojingu Shrine
- Parking around Udojingu Shrine
- Udojingu Shrine Official Website
- Recommended around Udojingu Shrine
Udojingu Shrine” was founded in B.C.? An old shrine with a history of about 2100 years
Udojingu Shrine is located in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, and is built along the coastline facing the Sea of Hyuga.
The date of its establishment is unknown, but according to shrine legend, it is said to have been built during the reign of Emperor Sojin (97-BC30 BC), and the shrine was built during the reign of Emperor Suiko (593-628 BC).
In the late Nara period (782), a monk named Koki-bo Kaikyu entered the shrine and built a separate temple (a temple established to manage the shrine), which was given the title of “Udozan Daigongen Agouhirayama Niou Gokokuji” by the Emperor Kanmu.
From the Middle Ages through the Edo period, it was revered and restored by the Ito clan of Hyuga, the feudal lord of the Hyuga province and the lord of the Obi domain.
In the Meiji period (1868-1912), the temple was renamed ” Udojingu Shrine” after the separation of the Shinto and Buddhist religions.
Udojingu Shrine is a rare “descending shrine” among shrines! The shrine pavilion is located in a rock cave.
Unlike most Shinto shrines, the main hall of Udo Jingu Shrine is located in a cave (sea cave).
It is said that the reason why the shrine pavilion is located in a cave is because the birthplace of Ugayafuiazu-no-mikoto, the main deity of the shrine, was located there.
※Ugayafuiazu-no-mikoto・・・The third generation of the three Hyuga generations (referring to the deities of the time when the ancestors of the imperial family were in Hyuga). Father is Yamayukihiko. His mother was Princess Toyotama. Father of Emperor Jinmu, the first emperor.
The main shrine is located at the top of a flight of stairs, whereas the main shrine is located at the bottom of a flight of stairs in most shrines. This is called a “descending shrine,” and Udo Jingu is one of the “Three Great Descending Shrines” in Japan, along with Ichinomiya Nukumae Shrine (Gunma Prefecture) and Kusabe Yoshimi Shrine (Kumamoto Prefecture).
The shrine is built in the beautiful vermilion color Hachimune-zukuri style, with the main shrine building, the hall of offerings, and the hall of worship all in one structure.
The current shrine was reconstructed in 1711 by Ito Yumi, lord of the Obi domain, and was renovated several times in 1889, 1968, and 1996.
Udojingu Shrine” has a luck test! Make your wish come true by throwing a luck ball.
In front of the main shrine, there is a place where visitors can try their luck. Among the reefs of various sizes, there is a stone called “Reiseki Kameishi” (a turtle carrying Princess Toyotama is said to have transformed into a stone), and a ball called “Luck Ball” is thrown into the hole in the stone while making a wish.
Men throw the ball with their left hand and women with their right, and if the luck ball goes in, the wish is said to come true. Originally, small coins were thrown, but in 1954, at the suggestion of Udo Elementary School, “luck balls” made of clay were used because more and more people were going to pick up money.
Access to Udojingu Shrine
3232 Miyaura, Nichinan City, Miyazaki 887-0101
Parking around Udojingu Shrine
Udojingu Shrine Official Website
Official site：https://www.udojingu.com/