丹生川上神社（Niukawakami Shrine）
[Address
Kamisya: 869-1 Sasako, Kawakami-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara-ken
Shimosya: 1-1 Hase, Shimoichi-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture

Travel time from Shimo-sha to Kami-sha
It takes about 50 minutes by car from the Shimo-sha to the Kami-sha of Niu-kawakami Shrine. From there, it takes another 30 minutes to go to the Naka Shrine.

Click here for a video clip of the Naka-sha shrine where visitors make a wish on a dragon ball and throw it into the waterfall.
   • 【♯19 丹生川上神社 中社】龍神の大恩恵で大金が舞い込みます〜残り140...  

First of all
The three shrines (Kamisha, Naka Shrine, and Shimo-sha) of Niu-kamigami Shrine worship Japan's oldest dragon god.
We went to receive blessings for money by visiting the Dragon God, the god of water.
The Shimo-sha shrine was a place where the dragon god would quietly rest, while the Kami-sha, as its name suggests, was a sacred shrine that welcomed us as if dancing in the sky.

The lower shrine
Goshinoki (sacred tree)
On the side of the corridor, there is a sacred tree.
The guide says, "Be quiet and calm, and stand on the trunk of the big tree,
The guidebook says, "Touch the trunk of the big tree quietly and make a single wish. You may receive an unexpected blessing.
The information says, "Make a wish and you may be blessed with an unexpected blessing.

Goshinsui Water
This water is called "Niu no Goshoku no Ii" (well of the sacred food of Niu),
You can drink the famous "water of life.
The well is now closed, but you can drink it from a faucet right next to the well.

Horse Ema
Horses have long been valuable and expensive animals. They were also very difficult for the shrine to care for. Therefore, instead of a live horse, a "painted horse" was dedicated to the shrine. This is said to be the prototype of today's ema.

Stairs to the Main Shrine
There are 75 steps leading up to the main shrine building, which is filled with a divine atmosphere.
This staircase is open to the public only during the annual festival on June 1.

Upper Shrine
Upper, middle, and lower shrines
Originally a single shrine, Niu-kawakami-jinja Shrine has been caught up in the whirlpool of history.
From the Edo period (1603-1868) to the Taisho period (1912-1926), it became three shrines and was called the Kamisha, Naka-sha, and Shimo-sha.

○Goshinoki (sacred tree)
There is a 600-year-old cedar tree on the right side of the hall of worship.

The plaque on the worship hall
The name of the shrine means "to shower divine rain and blessings.
Feel the pure wind on your skin, cleanse yourself with the natural water, and visit the shrine to express your gratitude and wishes.

Motomiya Shrine
The dam where Motomiya Motomiya sank is called "Otaki Ryujin Lake.
Here, the upper shrine of Niu Kawakami Shrine was located in a place that deserves to be called "a shrine in the sky.