Takuhi Shrine built by a steep cliff
Takuhi Shrine which is located on one of the Oki Islands, Nishinoshima, was built on the side of a volcanic crater at the 380m mark. The first thing that your eyes will notice is the honden built there as if the cliff were about to swallow it up. Just before the honden though is the haiden, or front shrine, and the connecting passageway between the two structures which have been designated as National Important Cultural Properties. These buildings were erected in 1732 and represent the oldest shrine of the Oki Islands. Next to the buildings is a massive cedar tree, and the mysterious environment of the shrine has even been illustrated in paintings by famous Edo Era ukiyo-e artists such as Hiroshige Ando and Hokusai Katsushika through his woodblock print “One Hundred Views of the Country”.
A shrine that has been worshiped as the God of Sailing
When he was about to encounter a disaster on his voyage to the Oki Islands, Emperor Gotoba who ruled during the Heian Era was led by a sacred fire so that Takuhi Shrine has been worshiped as a guardian deity of the seas. The Hatsu Mairi (First Shrine Visit of the Year) whose date is chosen by the communities on the Dozen Islands from the 5th day of the Lunar New Year has been passed down to the present day, and even now, it is said that ferries departing from Nishinoshima Island sound their horns as a wish for safety towards Takuhi Shrine.
Mt. Takuhi, a Natural Monument
Mt. Takuhi, where Takuhi Shrine is located, is the highest peak on Nishinoshima Island at an altitude of 452m. The sando path to the shrine which is also used as a climbing route up the mountain is protected as a sanctuary around which a variety of plants can be seen. The entire mountain is an extremely unusual place due to cold-climate and warm-climate plants both growing in the same place, so that in 1970, it was designated as a Natural Monument of Shimane Prefecture as the Takuhi Shrine Flora Sanctuary. In 1993, a nature trail was also built from the shrine to the peak. And from the observation point at the top, you can see the mountains on the outer rim which are specific to a volcano as well as Japan’s only caldera sea.