Kasuga Taisha

Kasuga Taisha Review

Famous for the more than 2,000 stone mantoro (lanterns) that line the major pathways, Kasuga Taisha is at once a monument to those who have paid tribute to the shrine's Shinto gods by dedicating a lantern, and to the Shinto tradition of worshipping nature. The lighting of the lanterns on three days of the year attracts large crowds that whisper with reverential excitement. February 3 is the Mantoro Festival, celebrating the beginning of spring, and August 14-15 is the Chugen Mantoro Festival, when the living show respect to their ancestors by lighting the way back to earth for them on their annual visit. As people take photographs with their mobile phones, the new messengers (men with loudspeakers) direct the well-behaved crowds. Kasuga Taisha was founded in 768 and for centuries, according to Shinto custom, the shrine was reconstructed every 20 years on its original design—not merely to renew the materials but also to purify the site. It's said that Kasuga Taisha has been rebuilt more than 50 times; its current incarnation dates from 1893. After you pass through the torii (orange gate), the first wooden structure you'll see is the Hai-den (Offering Hall); to its left is the Naorai-den (Entertainment Hall). To the left of Naorai-den are the four Hon-den (Main Shrines). They are designated as National Treasures, all built in the same Kasuga style and painted vermillion and green—a striking contrast to the dark wooden exterior of most other Nara temples.

To get to Kasuga Taisha from Nara Koen, walk east past the Five-Story Pagoda until you reach a torii. This path will lead you to the shrine.