Unzen Onsen Shrine

Overview

Unzen Onsen Shrine stands in Yumachi, part of the Unzen hot spring resort area in Obama-cho, Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture. Built in the nagare-zukuri style, the shrine carries a history closely tied to the hot spring town that grew up around it.

Highlights

• ●A shrine building constructed in the nagare-zukuri architectural style
• ●A location right within the Unzen hot spring resort area
• ●A historical link, via the temple Manmyoji, to the origin of the place-name 'Unzen'
• ●A shrine that still carries the history of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism

History

During the era of shinbutsu-shugo, the syncretic blending of Shinto and Buddhist practice, a Buddhist temple called Onsenzan Manmyoji was established as the bettoji, the temple that administered the shrine. The very name 'Unzen' was once written with the characters for 'onsen' (hot spring), a spelling said to derive from the sango, or mountain name, of Manmyoji. In other words, the place-name of today's hot spring resort is itself tied to the history of this shrine and its associated temple. The shrine building itself, in the nagare-zukuri style, is also worth noting for its architectural form.

Map

32.7421, 130.2618 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Arrive in the Unzen Onsen resort area and check into your lodging
2. 2Stroll around Yumachi on your way to Unzen Onsen Shrine
3. 3Visit the nagare-zukuri shrine building and reflect on the origin of the place-name
4. 4Continue on to nearby hot-spring sights such as Unzen Jigoku

Did you know?

💡 The fact that 'Unzen' was once written with the characters for 'onsen,' reportedly derived from the mountain name of Manmyoji, shows how closely this shrine is tied to the very origin of the Unzen Onsen place-name. The temple Manmyoji, which once administered the shrine under shinbutsu-shugo, is an essential part of the shrine's story.

Nearby spots