Aoi Aso Shrine
shrine
青井阿蘇神社
National Treasure shrine from 806 AD with rare thatched-roof architecture in the remote Kuma Valley.
A National Treasure founded in 806 AD in the remote Kuma Valley, featuring five thatched-roof buildings in the rare Hitoyoshi-style architecture. The ornate carvings on the romon gate blend Buddhist and Shinto iconography in a style unique to the isolated Kuma region. Hitoyoshi's mountain-ringed remoteness kept the shrine undamaged through centuries and allowed a distinct local shochu distilling tradition to develop alongside.
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