Kamado Shrine
Kamado Shrine is dedicated to the female deity Tamayori-hime. Tamayori-hime is associated with romantic fortune and matchmaking. Consequently, the shrine attracts people seeking happiness and good fortune in their relationships. Worshippers have visited Kamado Shrine to pay homage to Tamayori-hime for over 1,350 years.
During the seventh to twelfth centuries, when Dazaifu was the administrative center of Kyushu and a hub for international relations, Japanese emissaries would visit to pray for safe sea voyages before embarking on trips to the Asian continent.
Craftsmen used Japanese cypress wood for the sturdy pillars and sweeping roofs of the shrine, and the same material was used in the renovation of the main shrine building in 2013. In the grounds, cherry trees bloom in the spring and maples turn red and gold in the autumn.
Mt. Homan rises behind the shrine. The mountain stands northeast of Dazaifu and plays a vital role in protecting it from evil spirits traditionally believed to come from that direction. The mountain is an important site for practitioners of Shugendo—a folk-religion based on mountain worship that involves extreme feats of endurance and asceticism.