Kehi Jingu Shrine

Constructed in the year 702, this shrine is known as the “Hokurokudou Shochinshu, Echizen Kuniichinomiya” (The Shrine guardian the Hokuriku region). Another shrine within the grounds, the “Tsunuga Shrine” is known as the place that inspired the name of the “Tsuruga” region. Locals adore it by calling it “Kei-san” (short for Kehi). The main shrine is surrounded by the four shrines, known as the East Shrine House, Main Shrine House, Flat Shrine House, and West Shrine House. In front of the main shrine is the inner and outer praying shrine that lines up on the shrine road. The giant torii gate, painted red stands on the road, and is one of the “Three Torii Gates of Japan”, including the Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara, and the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima. The main shrine is a replica, but the torii gate is designated an important cultural heritage, after surviving world war 2.

Kehi Jingu was famously visited by the poet, Matsuo Basho in his traveler's journal “Oku no Hosomichi” fame. Throughout his journeys, he was inspired by the moonlit white sands in front of the shrine, in which wrote, ”Pure light of the moon glistening on the grains of sand brought by the pilgrims". In front of the inner torii is a statue of Matsuo, with a scripture of the poem on its base. The water springs in the precincts, called the “Cho-meisui” (longevity water) is known to be enriched by the spirits of the gods, attracting visitors for more than 1300 years.