Nikkô Futarasan Jinja is the oldest shrine in the Nikkô UNESCO complex, and is dedicated to the three main mountains in the area: Nantai-san, Nyoho-san, and Taro-san. Futarasan is another name for Nantai-san which is appropriate considering that the shrine complex sits at the foot of this particular mountain. Nikkô Futarasan Jinja was founded in 782 by Shodo Shonin, the same traveling monk who founded Rinnôji only a few meters away. Nikkô Futarasan Jinja houses the enshrined spirits of the mountains, the same spirits I mentioned in my post about Rinnôji that were deified as Buddhist reincarnations at Rinnôji.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

Though not as flashy as its younger sibling Nikkô Tôshôgû, Nikkô Futarasan Jinja is arguably the more sacred of the two since it is older and is the principal shrine to the regional deities. The shrines are beautiful as they sit comfortable beneath massive cypress trees with amazing entrances for guests to enter through. Together with Nikkô Tôshôgû and Rinnôji, Nikkô Futarasan Jinja completes the Nikkô UNESCO World Heritage Site.