Shrine · Uji

Ujigami Shrine 宇治上神社

A small, quiet World Heritage shrine across the river from Byodo-in whose main hall, built around 1060, is the oldest surviving shrine building in Japan.

About

Ujigami Jinja is a modest shrine in a wooded corner of Uji, but its Honden, dated by tree rings to around 1060, is the oldest existing shrine building in Japan; it shelters three small inner sanctuaries under one long roof. The Haiden worship hall in front is a rare example of Kamakura residential architecture, and both are National Treasures. Two cones of purified sand stand in the courtyard, as at Kamigamo, and the Kirihara spring is the only one of Uji's seven famous springs still flowing. Rabbit motifs appear on charms and fortunes because legend says a rabbit guided Prince Uji-no-Wakiiratsuko, one of the shrine's deities. It is a 10-minute walk from Byodo-in across the Uji river and the Asagiri bridge, past the Tale of Genji Museum.

Highlights

• Honden of about 1060, the oldest shrine building in Japan
• Kamakura-era Haiden, also a National Treasure
• Kirihara spring, last of Uji's seven springs
• Rabbit-shaped omikuji and charms
• Quiet wooded setting

Tips

• Free and rarely crowded, a perfect counterpoint to Byodo-in.
• Pick up a rabbit omikuji: a cute souvenir.
• Walk the river path from Byodo-in via Tachibana-jima islands and the Asagiri bridge.
• Combine with the Tale of Genji Museum nearby.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Tale of Genji MuseumMuseum · 260 m away
• Uji BridgeBridge · 380 m away
• Uji City Tourist CenterTourist Info · 410 m away
• Taihoan Tea House (Uji)Activities & Experiences · 420 m away
• Byodo-inTemple · 460 m away
• Byodoin Omotesando (Uji)Shopping Street · 470 m away
• Uji Park (Tonoshima and Tachibana Islands)Park · 500 m away
• Keihan Uji StationTransit Hub · 500 m away