Aoi Aso Shrine

The Aoi Aso Shrine in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, is one of Kyushu's oldest Shinto sanctuaries, with its founding traditionally dated to 806 CE. In 2008 it became the first structure in Kumamoto Prefecture to be designated a National Treasure (Kokuhō), Japan's highest tier of cultural property protection. The main hall exemplifies the classical Nagare-zukuri architectural style, characterised by its asymmetric sweeping roof and aged timber construction that conveys over a millennium of continuous ritual use. Visitors today find a quietly maintained complex of ceremonial courtyards, well off the main tourist circuits, where Shinto rites are still actively performed.