Myogi Shrine

Myogi Shrine is enshrined on the eastern foothills of Mt. Hakuun, the main peak of Mt. Myogi, famed for its bizarre and rugged rock formations, in a majestic landscape thick with ancient cedar trees. It is said to have been founded in the 2nd year of Emperor Senka’s reign (537), and enshrines Yamato Takeru and Toyouke-Omikami as its principal deities, along with such renowned deities as Sugawara no Michizane. Since ancient times, it has been widely revered as a deity of good fortune, prosperity in business, success in academics, matchmaking, fire prevention, and the protection of agriculture, drawing many worshippers from throughout the Kanto and Koshinetsu regions.

The name “Myogi” is said to have originated from “Myokon,” a name given by Gon-Dainagon Nagachika, who served Emperor Go-Daigo, in praise of the mountain’s mystical form. During the Edo period, it received deep devotion from successive shogun families as well as many feudal lords, including the Maeda clan of Kaga, and was granted land yielding 30 koku.

Within the shrine grounds stand buildings erected from the early to mid-Edo period, including a 12-meter-high vermilion main gate, the largest of its kind in the Kanto region; an elaborately carved, vividly colored kara-mon gate; and the honden, heiden, and haiden in black-lacquered gongen-zukuri style. All of these are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, and their splendor has earned the shrine the title “Nikko of Jomo.”

In addition, the shrine grounds and approach are adorned with weeping cherry trees over 200 years old, which bloom magnificently and attract many visitors in spring. In autumn, the foliage turns the steep slopes of Mt. Myogi crimson, creating a stunning landscape together with the borrowed scenery garden overlooking the Kanto Plain. The grounds also contain three cedars over 500 years old, making the shrine widely known as a powerful spiritual spot.

Furthermore, the shrine houses many treasures, including paintings, sculptures, old documents, metalwork, fossils, and imported items, some of which are occasionally exhibited or specially opened to the public. The entire Mt. Myogi area is designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty and is included in the Myogi-Arasune-Saku Highlands Quasi-National Park. In the seasons of fresh greenery and autumn leaves, visitors can enjoy a solemn landscape where faith and natural beauty are united.

Myogi Shrine is one of Gunma’s leading shrines, conveying some 1,500 years of history and culture to the present day, and is a sacred place where faith, culture, and nature exist in harmony.