Kuranashihama Shrine

Overview

Kuranashihama Shrine stands in Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture. Its subsidiary shrine, Yasaka Shrine, holds a Gion Festival on a weekend in late July known as the “Shimo Gion” (Lower Gion). Together with the “Kami Gion” (Upper Gion) hosted by nearby Nakatsu Shrine to the southwest, it forms the local summer festival of Nakatsu Gion. Set within the seaside town of Nakatsu, the shrine keeps alive the community's faith and festival traditions.

Highlights

• ●The Lower Gion festival held on a weekend in late July
• ●One half of Nakatsu Gion, paired with Nakatsu Shrine's Upper Gion
• ●Yasaka Shrine enshrined as a subsidiary shrine
• ●A quiet shrine set within the seaside town of Nakatsu

History

The Gion Festival of Yasaka Shrine, a subsidiary shrine within the Kuranashihama grounds, is called the Lower Gion and has long formed a pair with the Upper Gion of neighboring Nakatsu Shrine to make up Nakatsu Gion. Carried out as a single celebration uniting the upper and lower Gion, this festival has been handed down as a hallmark of summer in Nakatsu. For details such as the shrine's founding, please refer to official information.

Map

33.6110, 131.1941 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Visit Kuranashihama Shrine from central Nakatsu
2. 2Pay respects at the subsidiary Yasaka Shrine and learn the origin of the Lower Gion
3. 3Experience the bustle of the Lower Gion if you visit during the festival
4. 4Extend to Nakatsu Shrine, host of the Upper Gion, to take in all of Nakatsu Gion

Did you know?

💡 Nakatsu Gion is made up of two parts, the Upper Gion (Nakatsu Shrine) and the Lower Gion (the Yasaka Shrine within these grounds), and Kuranashihama Shrine plays one of those roles. Its distinctive name, “Kuranashihama,” is memorable in itself.

Nearby spots