Sumisaka Shrine is known as Japan's oldest shrine dedicated to the deity of health.
According to Japan’s oldest existing historical texts “The Kojiki” and “The Nihon Shoki”, this shrine was built by Emperor Sujin (97 BC - 30 BC), the first emperor who is considered to have existed. It is believed that the emperor conducted rituals to suppress a plague that swept through the empire.
Location
703 Haibara-hagiwara, Uda City, Nara Prefecture
Access
10 minutes’ walk from Kintetsu Haibara Station
Parking
Available
Sumisaka Shrine = 墨坂神社