Amano-Iwato Shrine, Nishi-Hongu

Amano-Iwato Shrine, Nishi-Hongu, is located in Iwato, Takachino, Nishi-Usuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture. It venerates the cave associated with the Amano-Iwato legend as its object of veneration (goshintai), and stands paired with the Higashi-Hongu (East Main Shrine) across the Iwato River. The shrine is nationally recognised as the identified location of the Amano-Iwato myth recorded in the *Kojiki* (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE) and *Nihon Shoki* (Chronicles of Japan, 720 CE). Its shrine rank is classified as a former village shrine.

The shrine sits in a ravine of the Iwato River in the northeast of Takachino Gorge, at the northern edge of the Kyushu Mountains. The cave of Amano-Iwato lies on a cliff face across the river behind the main hall (honden); the shrine buildings are positioned to face the cave from a distance. Upstream along the Iwato River lies the cave of Ama-no-Yasukawara, traditionally the place where the eight million deities held their council. Together with Takachino Shrine, Kushifuru Shrine, and Aratate Shrine, Amano-Iwato forms part of the ritual landscape of the Takachino mythological district.

The principal enshrined kami (shusaijin) is Ōhirume-no-Mikoto, an alternate name for Amaterasu-no-Omikami. According to the *Kojiki*, when Amaterasu withdrew into the Heavenly Rock Cave in anger at Susanoo-no-Mikoto's transgressions, darkness fell over the world. The eight million deities gathered at Ama-no-Yasukawara to devise a remedy: they performed rituals before the cave entrance, and through the spirit-possession dance of Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto and the pulling open of the cave door by Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Kami, Amaterasu emerged once more. The Nishi-Hongu venerates the cave itself as the object of veneration, while the Higashi-Hongu marks the place where Amaterasu first settled after departing the cave. Related deities commemorated include Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Kami (enshrined at Togakushi Shrine) and Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto.

The founding date is unknown; shrine records claim divine-age origins. The shrine first appears in documentary sources during the early modern period (Edo era) in local histories of Hyūga, identified as the location of the Amano-Iwato. In 1874, the Nishi-Hongu and Higashi-Hongu were formally separated into two distinct shrines under their present administration and classified as village shrines. From 1970 onwards, following construction of the Kyushu Expressway, the site has drawn pilgrims from across Japan as a destination for mythological tourism.

The principal annual festivals are the regular festival (*matsuri*) held on 2–3 May (the Grand Amano-Iwato Festival) and the nightly performance of the Amano-Iwato Night Kagura (sacred dance and music), a representative selection from the thirty-three pieces of Takachino Kagura and part of the nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property "Takachino Night Kagura". The shrine preserves dances that re-enact the spirit-possession of Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, including the Dance of Tajikara-o, the Dance of Uzume, and the Door-Drawing Dance.