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Kasuga Taisha Shrine

Deers and 3,000 Lanterns

Kasuga Taisha Shrine is located at the foot of Mount Kasuga in Nara, and is the main shrine of all Kasuga shrines in Japan, dedicated to the ancestral deity of the Fujiwara clan, a noble family of Japan. There are 3,000 lanterns in Kasuga Grand Shrine, and they can be seen on both sides of the path, inside and outside the halls, and under the eaves of the cloister.

Kasuga Taisha Shrine 春日大社 is an ancient shrine of more than 1,300 years old at the foot of Mount Kasuga in Nara, where the god of the Fujiwara clan, a noble family of Japan, is enshrined. Kasuga Taisha is the main shrine of all Kasuga shrines in Japan, and was selected as a Nara’s World Heritage Site in 1998, together with the Mt. Kasuga Primeval Forest.

In the early 8th century, Japan entered the Nara period. For the prosperity and development of Heijo-kyo 平城京 (Nara), people welcomed the God Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, also known as Kashima-no-kami, of Kashima Jingu Shrine to Mount Kasuga, and this was the origin of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. According to the legend, Kashima-no-kami came to Nara on the back of a white deer, so Nara's Deers is still regarded as a sacred symbol till today.

Manywhere Trivia:
The architectural style of Kasuga Taisha is so distinctive that the school of architecture represented by it was named “Kasuga-zukuri 春日造”.

Kasuga Taisha is a representative of Kasuga-zukuri architecture

Soon afterward, the Fujiwara clan, by order of the Emperor, built Kasuga Taisha at the foot of Mount Kasuga, and invited another three great gods of the Fujiwara clan, Amenokoyane-no-mikoto 天児屋命 and Himegami 比売神, as well as the guardian god of the Nakamori clan, Futsunushi-no-mikoto 経津主神, to this place, forming the present-day Main Hall (Main Sanctuary) with four gods standing side by side.

Lanterns hanging under the eaves

Walking around Kasuga Taisha, you can see lanterns everywhere. Stone Lanterns on Both Sides of the Worship Path, Cloister around the Main Hall, and rows of lanterns hanging inside and outside. Even the Fujinami-no-ya Hall, where the priests used as an office, is filled with lanterns. According to the statistics, there are 3,000 lanterns in Kasuga Taisha, and the lanterns are dedicated to many famous people of the Japanese Warring States period such as Todo Takatora 藤堂高虎 and Naoe Kanetsugu 直江兼続.

Outside the south gate of the shrine, there are fifteen shrines, led by Wakamiya Jinja Shrine, called Wakamiya 15 Shrines 若宮十五社. These shrines have a variety of functions: to bless people with good fortune, emotional harmony, and longevity, etc., and are popular among visitors.