Shrines

More than fifty centuries-old religious shrines hide in the walls and above the doorways of Gozo’s capital, and most visitors walk straight past them.

This narrow cave is revered in Japan as the womb of Mount Fuji.

A door-hating guardian spirit presides over this mountain where one of the largest religious festivals in Georgia takes place.

A pentagram-covered shrine dedicated to a famed court astrologer known in the west as the Merlin of Japan.

A Japanese fertility god in the shape of a large phallus.

A small shrine run entirely by vending machines.

A displaced shrine that was put back after a string of bad luck.

This “forbidden” sanctuary has managed to preserve a unique, ancient ecosystem.

A century-old house transformed into a cat temple by an artist.

The long-lost tomb of an ancient Japanese emperor, complete with a miniature terracotta army.

This shrine is abandoned, virtually unknown, and dedicated to a Sufi mystic shrouded in mystery.

This ancient, tranquil shrine is the birthplace of ema prayer boards and the Ushi-no-toki-mairi curse ritual.

According to local legend, anyone who falls on these temple steps will turn into a cat.

In a town defined by its incredible trees, having a shrine in one just makes sense.

According to folklore, this grave lies near the site of the “standing death” of one of Japan’s fiercest warriors.

This collection of shrines features large statues of Jesus and Mary, plus views of Sioux City.

Hilltop modernist/folk art shrine and gardens dedicated to a Native American saint.

You can hear Buddhist prayers in this elevated sea cave once used by monks.