Takao Shrine

Takao Shrine sits in a small park beside the Kachu River, a short walk from the center of Tsuru. The shrine has stood for nearly 200 years, named after the sacred Mt. Takao that it faces. According to local tradition, it was established to venerate a wooden statue found floating in the river by a local water-wheel maker. The main hall, though relatively recent, carries on a long tradition. Each year on the night between November 30th and December 1st, a large bonfire is lit and local merchants set up an open-air market, continuing the memory of the days when this stretch of river was Tsuru's central market street.