Unagihime Shrine
宇奈岐日女神社
Yufuin’s chief guardian shrine, an ancient shrine recorded in the Engishiki, with a large torii on the main street framing Mount Yufu and a quiet, ancient cedar grove.
Unagihime Shrine is the chief guardian shrine of the Yufuin basin. It appears in the Engishiki Jinmyōchō (the register of shrines in the Engishiki) compiled in the Heian period, and locals call it “Rokusho-gū.” Legend says that in ancient times the Yufuin basin was a lake, until a deity kicked open a cliff to drain the water and create fields; the “Unagi” in the shrine’s name is related to marshland. From the main street in front of Yufuin Station, you can see the shrine’s large torii framed against Mount Yufu, a popular photo spot. The main shrine building is about 1 km south of the station among rice fields. The ancient cedar-lined approach is very quiet, a contrast to the bustle of Yunotsubo Street. Admission is free. Transport: about a 15-minute walk from Yufuin Station, and it can be combined with a stroll through the fields south of the station.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Yufuin Floral Village
- Shitan-yu Public Bath
- Yufuin Yunotsubo Street
- Yufuin no Mori Train
- Sagiridai Observation Point
- Yunohira Onsen
- Tsukahara Onsen Kakō-no-Izumi