Kasuga Taisha, Nara

Among the many historic sites in Nara, few places capture the atmosphere of ancient Japan as beautifully as Kasuga Taisha.

Founded in the 8th century, Kasuga Taisha has been an important spiritual center for more than 1,200 years and is closely connected to the powerful Fujiwara clan, one of the most influential families in Japanese history.

Approaching the shrine, visitors pass through a forest that has long been regarded as sacred. The path is lined with hundreds of stone lanterns, softened by moss and the passage of time. The deeper one walks into the forest, the quieter the world seems to become.

Kasuga Taisha is famous for its lanterns.
Thousands of stone and bronze lanterns have been donated over the centuries by worshippers seeking blessings and protection.
Together they create one of the most distinctive and memorable landscapes in Japan.
The area around Kasuga Taisha is also connected to one of Japan’s most famous classical poems.

Abe no Nakamaro, a Japanese scholar who traveled to Tang China in the 8th century, is said to have looked up at the moon far from home and remembered the moon rising over Mount Mikasa in Nara.

His poem expresses longing for Japan, memory of Nara, and the deep emotional bond between landscape and homeland. For Japanese people, Mount Mikasa and the area around Kasuga Taisha are not only beautiful scenery.

They are also part of a cultural memory preserved through poetry, history, and emotion.
For visitors from overseas, the shrine offers a glimpse into a uniquely Japanese relationship between nature, spirituality, and memory.

The forest.
The lanterns.
The shrine buildings painted in vivid vermilion.
The moon remembered in an ancient poem.

Together they create an atmosphere that feels both peaceful and timeless.
Nara was once the capital of Japan, and places like Kasuga Taisha help preserve the cultural memory of that era.

Walking beneath the ancient trees, it is easy to understand why this shrine continues to inspire visitors from around the world.

BRONZE MUSEUM JAPAN

photo : Supervisor K