This Shinto shrine and its large park are dedicated to the spirit of Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) and his wife, Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji reigned during Japan's transformation from an isolated nation, unchanged for many hundreds of years into a modern world power. He and Empress Shoken are buried near Kyoto but this shrine was completed in his memory in 1920 with labor volunteered by over 100,000 Japanese people. It was destroyed in an air raid in 1945 and rebuilt in 1958. The grounds are thickly wooded with many trees and shrubs and contain a famous iris garden once frequented by the Emperor and his consort.

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