Tsubaki Shrine — 都波岐神社・奈加等神社

Tsubaki Shrine is actually two shrines sharing one precinct in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture — Tsubaki Shrine (都波岐神社) and Nakato Shrine (奈加等神社) — both designated National Important Cultural Properties yet occupying a compound so quiet that most visitors to neighboring Suzuka Circuit have never heard of it. The wooden architecture dates to the early Edo period, and the shrines stand side by side beneath ancient camphor trees, their identical cypress-bark roofs forming parallel ridgelines. What makes this pairing unusual is that the two shrines share not only location but lineage: both were relocated here together in 1602 from separate original sites, their fates bound by a single daimyō’s decision during the castle town reorganization of Suzuka.

Tsubaki Shrine was originally established in what is now Tsu City during the Nara period (710-794), while Nakato Shrine stood in the Nakato district of present-day Suzuka. Both served as local tutelary shrines (ubusuna) for their respective communities. In 1602, when Ieyasu Tokugawa’s vassal Honda Tadakatsu constructed Kameyama Castle and reorganized the castle town of Suzuka, he ordered both shrines moved to their current location near the Tōkaidō road. The relocation was completed within a single year, and the two shrines have shared the same sacred precinct ever since. The current main hall structures (honden) of both shrines were rebuilt in 1648 using the nagare-zukuri architectural style, and both were designated National Important Cultural Properties in 1907 for their exceptional preservation of early Edo craftsmanship.

Tsubaki Shrine enshrines Saruta-hiko no Ōkami (猿田彦大神), the deity of guidance and crossroads who appears in the Kojiki as the kami who descends from heaven to guide Ninigi no Mikoto during the Tenson Kōrin (Heavenly Grandson’s Descent). Saruta-hiko is also associated with the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in nearby Suzuka, creating a network of Saruta-hiko worship across Mie. Nakato Shrine enshrines Takeminakata no Kami (建御名方神), the god of wind, water, and military prowess, who is the primary deity of Suwa Taisha in Nagano. Takeminakata is known in mythology as the son of Ōkuninushi who challenged Takemikazuchi during the transfer of the land to the heavenly deities, then fled to Lake Suwa. His presence in Suzuka reflects the spread of Suwa worship along medieval trade routes.

The two shrines preserve a local legend called “The Camphor Trees That Walked.” When Honda Tadakatsu ordered the shrines moved in 1602, the ancient camphor trees that stood at each original site were also transplanted — an unprecedented undertaking given the size and age of the trees. Woodcutters preparing to dig them up reported that on the night before relocation began, they heard the sound of footsteps and rustling leaves moving along the road between the old and new sites. When they arrived at dawn, they found trails of fallen camphor leaves marking the exact route the trees would be carried. Villagers interpreted this as the kami themselves walking ahead to bless the path. The trees survived transplanting and stood at the shrine until the Meiji period; their stumps remain visible near the main halls. The shrine holds an annual ritual in October where priests walk the historical route between the old shrine sites and the current location, scattering camphor leaves.

Both shrine buildings employ the nagare-zukuri style with cypress bark roofing (hiwadabuki), characterized by gently curved ridgelines and extended front eaves. The structures are nearly identical in size and proportion, measuring approximately 5 meters square, and were built simultaneously in 1648 by the same workshop of shrine carpenters. The main halls feature exposed wood with minimal paint, allowing the grain of the cypress pillars to remain visible — a hallmark of Edo-period shrine aesthetics in Mie. The worship halls (haiden) were added in the late Edo period. Between the two shrines stands a stone monument erected in 1907 commemorating their designation as National Important Cultural Properties. The precinct also contains a small collection hall displaying wooden votive plaques (ema) from the Edo and Meiji periods depicting travelers on the Tōkaidō road praying for safe passage.

• Tsubaki Shrine Spring Festival (April 3) — Features ritual dances performed by local children dressed in Heian-period costumes, honoring Saruta-hiko’s role as guide and protector of journeys.
• Nakato Shrine Autumn Festival (October 9) — Includes a procession carrying portable shrines (mikoshi) through the former Nakato district, retracing the 1602 relocation route.
• Camphor Memorial Rite (October 15) — Priests walk the historical path between the old shrine sites and scatter camphor leaves in remembrance of the transplanted trees.
• New Year Hatsumode (January 1-3) — Both shrines receive visitors simultaneously, with a single offering box placed between them symbolizing their shared spiritual space.

Late autumn, specifically early November, when the ginkgo and maple trees in the precinct turn color and the light slants low through the camphor branches in the afternoon. The compound is nearly empty on weekdays, and the silence is broken only by the sound of wind moving through the cypress bark roofing. October 15 offers the rare opportunity to witness the Camphor Memorial Rite and see priests walking the old relocation route. Avoid the weekends nearest the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in late July, when the nearby circuit draws crowds and traffic makes access difficult.