Amaniwato Shrine

Amaniwato Shrine stands in Takachihochō, Nishi-Usuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, at the site traditionally associated with the Amaniwato myth from the *Kojiki* (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE) and *Nihon Shoki* (Chronicles of Japan, 720 CE). The shrine comprises two buildings—the Western Shrine (Nishi-Hongu) and Eastern Shrine (Higashi-Hongu)—separated by the Iwato River, a tributary of the Gojagase River upstream from the Takachiho Gorge. The object of veneration (goshintai) of the Western Shrine is the rock cave across the river, known as the Amaniwato cave itself, which devotees view from a distant-worship pavilion.

The Western Shrine enshrines Ōhirume-no-Mikoto (an alternative name for Amaterasu-no-Omikami) as principal kami, whilst the Eastern Shrine venerates Amaterasu-no-Omikami alongside subsidiary kami including Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Mikoto, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, and Omoinokane-no-Kami—all major figures in the Amaniwato narrative. According to the *Kojiki*, when Amaterasu withdrew into the rock cave in anger at Susanoo-no-Mikoto's depredations, the eight million kami (yaoyorozu no kami) assembled to devise her retrieval through Ame-no-Uzume's sacred dance and Ame-no-Tajikarao's strength.

Though the founding date remains unclear, shrine tradition holds that veneration of the Amaniwato cave as an object of veneration extends to the ancient period. The Western and Eastern Shrines were originally separate establishments and were unified as Amaniwato Shrine during the Meiji era. The cave across the river is maintained as sacred ground and is closed to general entry; visitors may view it only from the distant-worship pavilion under priestly guidance. Long known locally as 'Iwato-sama', it has held deep community reverence.

The shrine's principal festivals include the Spring Festival (matsuri) on 2–3 May and the Amaniwato Yoru-Kagura Festival on 3 November. The Takachihochō region is a transmission centre for yoru-kagura (night sacred dance and music), designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, with Amaniwato mythology as the principal theme of performances maintained in the shrine precincts and surrounding communities.