Uji Shrine (Japanese: 宇治神社) is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Uji (宇治) in Kyoto (京都) Prefecture, Japan. Uji Shrine is adjacent to the Ujigami Shrine (宇治上神社), while Ujigami Shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The visiting path of the Uji Shrine is decorated with plastic cups, which are painted with the images of rabbits, and look so cute.
The buildings of Uji Shrine look new, perhaps the shrine is surrounded by gloomy forest, Choumeizai feels a bit spooky.
Ujigami Shrine was built as a guardian shrine for the nearby Byōdō-in (平等院), the honden (本殿) and haiden have been designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (拝殿) as National Treasures in the category shrines.
Ujigami Shrine was found via digital dendrochronology to be the oldest original Shinto shrine in Japan, a research determined that the shrine was built in approximately 1060, which closely matches the written account of the founding of the shrine.
Until the Meiji (明治) Period (1868 – 1912) the Uji and Ujigami shrines were collectively known as the Rikyukamisha (離宮上社).
Not far from Uji shrines, there is a 13 tiered stone pagoda, the biggest ancient stone pagoda in Japan.
