Aoi Aso Shrine

Aoi Aso Shrine (, Aoi Aso Jinja) is a Shinto shrine in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is colloquially known as Aoi-san . It was originally established as a prefectural shrine, but is currently designated as a national shrine (, Beppyo Jinja). Five of the structures within the shrine are listed as National Treasures of Japan. During the 2020 Kyushu floods the shrine was flooded, but only parts of the bridge were destroyed. No significant damage to the National treasures of Japan were reported.

The shrine enshrines Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto, his consort Asotsuhime-no-Mikoto, and their son Hayamikatama-no-Mikoto. These three deities are three of the 12 deities enshrined at Aso Shrine in Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture, where it is locally known as Aso Sanja. Until the early modern period, Shinto and Buddhism were practiced based on the Shinto aspects of both parts, with the god Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto enshrining the Eleven-Headed Kannon, the god Asutsuhime-no-Mikoto enshrining Fudo Myo-o, and the god Kunizo Hayamikatama enshrining Bishamonten as the main Buddha. However, in 1665, the shrine was converted to be a completely Shinto shrine.

According to legend, on September 9, 806, the chief priest of the Aso Shrine, Korimoto Ogata Gonsuke, enshrined the three Aso shrines of Aoi-go, Kuma-gun into the Aoi Aso Shrine. Later on, the shrine was rebuilt in the middle of the 11th century, and was rebuilt a second time when Sagara Nagayori became the lord of the area in 1198. The shrine would be renovated continuously, notably again in 1491. In the Yatsushiro Nikki (Yatsushiro Diary), it is written that the Yatsushiro-shu of Yatsushiro held a Shinto judgment (Ichimi Shinsui) at Myokenomiya (now Yatsushiro Shrine) on February 23, 1558, regarding the 17 laws enacted on February 26, 1558. The "Harui" is a misprint of "Aoi" and refers to this shrine, and it is likely that the public discussion before the enactment and the divine judgment after the enactment took place at this shrine. This indicates that the shrine was not only an object of worship for the Sagara clan, but also an entity that controlled their vassals. Starting in the early modern Period, the shrine was kno

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