Yaotomi Shrine

Yaotomi Shrine sits on Takeshima Island in Mikawa Bay, reached by a 387-meter footbridge from the mainland. The shrine was founded in 1181 by poet and courtier Fujiwara no Shunzei, inspired by a similar sanctuary on Lake Biwa's Chikubushima island. The island's original vegetation, undisturbed for centuries due to its sacred status, preserves over 230 plant varieties including rare subtropical sedge at its northernmost Pacific range. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu stopped here to pray before battle; the island's quiet walking path loops back to the bridge along the rocky shore.