Atsuta Jingu in Nagoya: One of Japan's Top Three Shrines

2015-03-15 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

I was so full after finishing that huge portion of hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice) when it hadn't even been that long since breakfast. It was cold out and the shrine didn't look like it had much to see, so I was going to just head home, but I was way too stuffed. I went for a walk around Atsuta Jingu to digest.

People walking on a wide dirt path lined with lush trees on both sides. — Just looking at the trees that grew alongside Atsuta Jingu gave me a rough idea of how old this place is. It's well-preserved not only historically but also naturally.

A Japanese sword with a long red scabbard and a Japanese sword with a short black scabbard displayed in a glass case. — The Kusanagi sword. It's incredibly long since it was meant for commanding troops.

If we're talking about what Atsuta Jingu is famous for, it houses the Kusanagi sword—which you sometimes see in Japanese manga—and the Nobunaga-bei (Nobunaga Wall), built by Oda Nobunaga after he prayed for victory at the Battle of Okehazama and won. But honestly, the most famous thing about Atsuta Jingu is the shrine itself. Compared to a shrine that's about 1,900 years old, even the Sengoku (Warring States) period was just a fleeting moment.

Three chickens walking around a squatting person. — I don't know if killing is forbidden at Japanese shrines too, but the size of these chickens is massive. Coming from the land of fried chicken, I couldn't help but imagine an incredible amount of chicken...

Three people washing their hands in front of a roofed stone water basin. — This isn't just a place to drink water; it's where you wash your hands and pray. If I had a guide, I would've asked what this spot was for, but since I was my own guide, I couldn't really do that...

A huge, old tree surrounded by a wooden fence. — Whenever I see these ropes wrapped around trees, I feel like Korea and Japan have a lot in common.

A Japanese information board with a portrait of Oda Nobunaga and a photo of an earthen wall.

A Japanese information board with a portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and a photo of an old document.

A Japanese information board containing a portrait of Tokugawa Ieyasu and a photo of an old building. — Since this is such a famous shrine and played an important role during the Sengoku period—the most interesting era in Japanese history—Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu each contributed a wall, calligraphy, and a gate, respectively, as seen in the photos above.

An earthen wall and a gravel path in a sunlit forest.

An old, moss-covered earthen wall topped with a tiled roof.

Out of those three points, I saw the mud wall that Nobunaga supposedly dedicated to the gods after his dramatic victory at the Battle of Okehazama. At first glance, it doesn't look special at all, but because it's historically valuable, only a portion is open to the public while the rest is restricted. For a gift from a warlord famous for saying he'd kill a cuckoo if it didn't sing, it was a bit underwhelming. Or maybe it originally surrounded the entire shrine, but burned down and this is all that's left...

A wooden shrine building with a wide roof visible through large trees, and people walking in front of it. — This is the main hall of Atsuta Jingu. More accurately, it's the entrance to the main hall, which sits right behind it. I regret not being able to capture it due to my camera's limitations.

People praying toward a shrine building next to a large white lantern painted with a chrysanthemum crest.

Even though the weather was chilly, many people came to pray. Some prayed with deep sincerity, while couples simply smiled and said a quick prayer. Thinking about how the gods living here have been listening to all sorts of prayers from all sorts of people for 1,900 years, I figured they must be under a lot of stress. Still, everyone who comes here seems to leave in a good mood, which made me feel oddly proud just watching them.

A traditional wooden building with decorations on its roof, seen over a wooden fence.

When you actually look around, both the Kusanagi sword artifact and the Nobunaga-bei are pretty underwhelming and a bit disappointing. But the reason you should definitely visit is that it's a great place to walk quietly among the lush trees and organize your thoughts in a peaceful atmosphere. Plus, if you read up on Sengoku history before you go to fully appreciate it, it becomes a dreamlike space where you can look at those "underwhelming" cultural assets and let your imagination play out an epic, heart-pounding drama.

#QuietAtmosphereWouldBeNiceOnASunnyDay #StillColdSoILeftQuickly