Atago Shrine

The Atago Shrine in Minato, Tokyo, Japan is a Shinto shrine established in 1603 on the order of shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The current shrine buildings on the site date from 1958.

The shrine is located on Atago Hill, which is 26 meters above sea level. In old times, the shrine had an excellent view of Tokyo, now obscured by high rises. The very steep stairs leading to the shrine are also famous, as they represent success in life.

According to legend, a young samurai dared to ride his horse up the stairs to deliver plum blossoms to the shōgun. It took his horse only one minute to get up, but 45 minutes to get down, and the horse was totally exhausted afterwards. This scene is depicted in a painting in the main shrine hall.