Only a minute or two from Matsumoto Castle, Yohashira Jinja was founded in the Meiji Period and is actually a rare shrine in Japan, not for its architecture or for any visual note, but because it has four different gods enshrined within the main building. Most shrines will have one or two gods enshrined within with three gods uncommon, but four gods in one building is quite unusual. Because of this, it was given the name of Yohashira, which means the Four Pillars.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 6.

This is a wonderful little shrine. It’s in a great place, in a great city, and just off of a lovely little street. Because of the four gods enshrined within, it is believed that the shrine has an above average ability to grant wishes with extra good luck, making it a very popular shrine in the area. When I was there, an elementary school baseball team praying for good luck at the shrine which was quite adorable.

Just outside of the main gate is a small shrine to children. The small structure is completely covered in images, statues, and figurines of frogs. In Japanese, a frog is called a kaeru, which is also the verb to return or go back with an implied intention of returning home.

In the heart of Matsumoto city, close to the Matsumoto City Art Museum and the Performing Arts Center, Tenjin Fukashi Jinja is a small but beautifully decorated shrine to two particular gods: Tenjin (a god of scholarly achievement and success) and Suwa-Myojin (a god of war who also blesses agriculture). The shrine holds a two-day festival every year from July 24th to 25th.

For the casual: 5. For the educated: 4.

I really enjoyed this shrine and its lovely colors. Following an Edo Period style of architecture and ornamentation, the shrine is largely vermillian with accents of color and gold. In modern cities where everything tends to run in the gray scale, I really enjoy these moments when you can walk into an area and just be filled with color and beauty. Though I didn’t rank it very high on my scale, I think that it should be a location that visitors should at least pass through when in the area because of how its beauty can be shared with everyone.