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The worship hall of Amano Iwato Shrine Nishi Hongu seen along the stone-paved approach
Photo: Big Ben in Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Miyazaki · shrine

Amano Iwato Shrine (Nishi Hongu)

天岩戸神社 西本宮

A Takachiho shrine that worships Amano Iwato, the cave where the sun goddess hid. Pray to it with a priest, then walk along the river to Amano Yasukawara.

A view of Amanoyasugawara, the sacred cave shrine in Miyazaki.
Photo: sk01, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The wooden kagura dance hall in the grounds of Amano Iwato Shrine
Photo: sk01, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The setting of the myth of the hidden sun

Amano Iwato Shrine is in the town of Takachiho in northern Miyazaki Prefecture. Japan's oldest histories, the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, tell how the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami shut herself away for a while in a rock cave to escape her younger brother, Susanoo-no-Mikoto. That cave is Amano Iwato ("the heavenly rock door"), and the shrine stands on the place where the legend is set.

The shrine is split into two parts, Nishi Hongu (the western main shrine) and Higashi Hongu (the eastern main shrine), on either side of the Iwato River gorge. What Nishi Hongu worships is the cave itself, halfway up the cliff across the valley behind the shrine buildings. In Shinto, mountains, rocks and the like are sometimes worshipped as goshintai (objects in which a god dwells), and here the cave is the goshintai. The enshrined deity is Ohirume-no-Mikoto, another name for Amaterasu Omikami. Higashi Hongu, on the opposite bank, is honoured as the first place Amaterasu lived after coming out of the cave.

Praying to Amano Iwato with a priest

Behind the haiden (worship hall) of Nishi Hongu is a yohaisho, a spot for praying to Amano Iwato from across the valley. You cannot go there on your own: a Shinto priest leads visitors there. The guided visits run several times a day at set times, take about 10 to 15 minutes, and are free.

The Ama-no-Ukihashi bridge linking Nishi Hongu and Higashi Hongu has a glass floor through which you can look straight down at the Iwato River.

To Amano Yasukawara, the cave where the gods met

About a 10-minute walk from Nishi Hongu along the path beside the Iwato River is Amano Yasukawara, a large cave. Legend says that when Amaterasu hid herself away, the yaoyorozu gods ("eight million", meaning countless gods) gathered here to decide what to do. Inside and around the cave stand many small piles of stones stacked up by visitors.

The path has steps and cannot be used with wheelchairs or pushchairs. There are no streetlights either, so go while it is light. Some parts are slippery, so comfortable walking shoes are a good idea.

Getting there

It is about 15 minutes by car from Takachiho Bus Centre in the middle of Takachiho town. From Miyazaki Airport or JR Miyazaki Station it takes a little over two hours by car. The shrine has car parks (some are paid).

Tips

  • Always walk to Amano Yasukawara along the path from the shrine car park. According to the shrine, map apps sometimes send people to a different place (a nearby shop).
  • Guided visits to the yohaisho run at fixed times. Check the time of the next one at the shamusho (the office that sells amulets and handles enquiries) before you explore the grounds, and you will not waste any time.
  • Eating while walking around the grounds is not allowed; eat and drink in the rest area. The whole of the grounds is non-smoking.

Sources

Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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