History
According to the Kojiki (Japan's oldest surviving book), Atsuta Shrine was originally founded around 100 AD after the site in Nagoya was chosen for the shrine to house the Kusanagi no mitsurugi. Throughout its history, the shrine's buildings were maintained through the efforts of shoguns such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Tokugawas. The Nobunaga-Bei, a 7.4 m high roofed mud wall, was donated to the shrine in 1560 by Nobunaga as a token of gratitude for being granted a victory at the Battle of Okehazama.
In 1893, it was remodeled using the Shinmeizukuri architectural style, the same style used in the building of Ise Shrine. Before a celebration in 1935, the shrine's buildings as well as other facilities were completely rearranged and improved in order to better reflect the importance of the shrine.
During the bombings of World War II, however, many of Atsuta Shrine's buildings were destroyed by fire. The shrine's main buildings, such as the honden, were reconstructed and completed in 1955. Following the completion of these buildings, construction of other buildings continued on the shrine grounds, and in 1966 the Treasure Hall was completed in order to house over 4,000 of the shrine's treasures.
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Last updated on Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 17:21:05 PDT (GMT -0700)
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