Nature Worship in Old Shintō

Oyama Shrine (Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture) sits atop one of the peaks of Tateyama, the sacred mountain to which the shrine dedicated.

Hana-no-iwaya Shrine in Mie Prefecture, one of the oldest shrines in Japan, is dedicated to the huge rocky outcropping in the background, regarded as a dwelling place of the kami.

The forest at Keta Shrine (Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture) is worshiped as a himorogi and it is forbidden to enter. Photograph courtesy of Keta Shrine.