Kasuga Shrine

春日神社

Founded in 958 (Tentoku 2) on the summit of Mt. Kasugayama

Founded in 958 (Tentoku 2) on the summit of Mt. Kasugayama, this shrine flourished as the guardian deity of the Uesugi clan, the powerful provincial deputies of Echigo. It enshrines a deity branched from Nara's Kasuga Taisha and is the namesake of Kasugayama Castle. During the castle's construction, it is believed the shrine was relocated to its current position, considered the kimon (unpropitious direction or ""demon gate"") for the castle.

This historic site features an impressive approach lined with soaring cedar trees and distinctive steep stone steps. The Kasuga Lanterns standing within its precincts are said to date back to the Edo period (1603-1868), a time of remarkable peace, stability, and cultural growth in Japan under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate.