Yoga Jinja

Enshrined on Mount Yuga in Takabatake-cho, Nara City, this shrine was originally established as a guardian against evil at the northeastern gate of Gangoji's Zenjoin. It later became the protective deity of the Daijoin of Kofukuji, receiving veneration from the Fujiwara clan. In 1718, the shrine guardian had a divine dream and revived the Inari sub-shrine, holding a formal enshrinement ceremony in 1730. Since the principal deity, Uka no Mitama no Kami, is the same as the Inari deity, the shrine eventually came to be called Yuga Jinja after the mountain's name. The mountain has long been celebrated as a scenic spot for cherry blossoms and autumn foliage, and is counted among the Sixteen Views of Nara.