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"Tenno-san of Katagami" at Ushio Shrine on Sado Island
On my first visit to Sado Island, I rented a moped and happened to stumble upon “Katagami’s Tenno-san”—also known as Ushio Shrine—as my first stop. From the prefectural road, the torii gate marking the entrance to the back approach caught my eye and captivated me. That intuition seemed to be spot-on. I had intended to just take a photo of the moss-covered steps at the entrance, but before I knew it, I had stepped onto the shrine grounds and was paying my respects. The shrine was established in 792 after the deity was enshrined here from Izumo Taisha. The sacred giant cedar is approximately 1,000 years old. It is also a shrine steeped in history: on the Noh stage (a Prefectural Tangible Folk Cultural Property), where Noh masks from the Muromachi period are preserved as shrine treasures, a “Reisai Hōnō Takigi Nō” (a traditional Noh performance using firewood) is performed every June as part of the annual festival’s eve ceremony. It’s one of the places I highly recommend visiting when you’re on Sado Island.
