Tour the gods of music and entertainment! Recommended shrines, temples, and power spots
Japan is home to countless shrines and temples, each said to offer various blessings.
Among them are many places believed to bestow benefits related to music and the performing arts.
In particular, shrines and temples that enshrine deities such as Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto—known from the legend of Ama-no-Iwato—Benzaiten, the goddess of music, and Gigeiten, who grants blessings for artistic pursuits, are especially popular for their supposed benefits in music and entertainment.
In this article, we’ll introduce not only famous shrines like Kurumazaki Shrine in Kyoto and Yoyogi Hachimangu in Tokyo, but also a wide range of shrines and temples across Japan connected to music and the performing arts.
We’ll also highlight music-related power spots such as musicians’ graves, monuments with song inscriptions, and memorial museums.
If any of these places catch your interest, be sure to pay them a visit.
- Tour the gods of music and entertainment! Recommended shrines, temples, and power spots
- Masterpiece and popular songs by 88Kasyo Junrei
- [2026] A Collection of Classic and Popular J-Pop Songs About God [Japanese Music]
- [Japan] A collection of J-pop with a traditional Japanese (wa) vibe and Japanese-style taste
- April Music Festivals [2026]: A roundup of spring festivals, outdoor rock fests, and other music events
- Oni Out, Fortune In: A roundup of J-pop you’ll want to listen to during Setsubun
- [Japanese Music] A Collection of Cool Band Names [Naming]
- What does “taite,” a term you often hear at live shows and festivals, mean?
- A collection of cool songs that sound great when sung by women, originally male songs
- Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music
- Only famous artists! Anime songs that energize the Reiwa era
- [Rice Songs] A selection of tracks where food appears in the lyrics!
- [Moon Songs Special] Famous songs about the moon. Songs you’ll want to listen to under a full moon or in the moonlight.
shrine
Maruyama Benten-dō (Maruyama Bentendo)
Maruyama Bentendo, located behind Yasaka Shrine, is dedicated to Benzaiten and is said to bless music and the performing arts. In the Muromachi period, a biwa-playing blind priest living in Kyoto made a vow there and was granted the chance to perform before the Emperor. The Benzaiten enshrined in the hall is a hidden deity, revealed to the public only once every 60 years. It is also close to the Maruyama Music Hall, so perhaps she is watching over musical performances there as well.
| Name | Maruyama Benten-dō (Maruyama Bentendo) |
| Address | 474-1 Maruyama-cho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
Umemiya Taisha (Umemiya Grand Shrine)
Umenomiya Taisha, located in the western part of Kyoto, is famous as a shrine of the deity of sake. Many people involved in sake brewing visit to worship and offer sake. However, because one of the shrine’s four enshrined deities is Konohanasakuya-hime, and the shrine also has a close connection with Emperor Ninmyō, who excelled in music and the performing arts, it is also said to grant blessings for improving musical and artistic skills.
| Name | Umemiya Taisha (Umemiya Grand Shrine) |
| Address | 30, Umezu Fukenokawa-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto |
| Website | http://www.umenomiya.or.jp/ |
Shirakumo Shrine
Located within the Kyoto Imperial Garden, this shrine once served as the guardian shrine of the former Saionji family. Affectionately known as “Gosho no Benten-san,” Hakuun Shrine is renowned as a deity of music, making it an ideal place for musicians and band members to pay their first shrine visit of the New Year. After visiting Hakuun Shrine, you might also enjoy sightseeing around the Imperial Palace grounds.
| Name | Shirakumo Shrine |
| Address | Kyoto Gyoen, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Website | http://www.kyoshri.grats.jp/shri117.html |
Nonomiya Shrine
Said to have been built on a pure site, Nonomiya Shrine is located in Sagano, Kyoto. To the left of the main hall, Shiramine Benzaiten is enshrined and is believed to grant success in the performing arts. Also on the left side of the main hall, it is said that if you stroke the “Okame-ishi” (Okame Stone) near Nonomiya Daikokuten while making a wish, your wish will come true within a year. Why not offer your wishes for the coming year there when you make your first shrine visit of the New Year?
| Name | Nonomiya Shrine |
| Address | 1, Miyanomachi, Sagano, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Website | http://www.nonomiya.com/index.html |
Chikubushima Shrine
Chikubushima Shrine is known as the Benten of Ōmi and, as one of Japan’s three great Benzaiten shrines, attracts deep devotion. Like other Benten deities, it is worshiped as a patron of music and the performing arts. The Dragon God Worship Site within Chikubushima Shrine offers a magnificent spot with a sweeping view of Lake Biwa.
| Name | Chikubushima Shrine |
| Address | 1665, Hayasaki-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga-ken |
| Website | http://www.chikubusima.or.jp/ |
Sekisemimaru Shrine (Sekisemimaru Jinja)
This is a shrine in Shiga known as a guardian of music, dance, and the performing arts. It enshrines Semimaru, a master biwa player who was blind. Because of a legend that Semimaru’s sight was miraculously restored, the shrine is also said to bring blessings for eye ailments. It is additionally revered as a deity of hair, and many hairdressers and wig makers are said to come to worship.
| Name | Sekisemimaru Shrine (Sekisemimaru Jinja) |
| Address | 1-15 Ousaka, Otsu-shi, Shiga |
| Website | http://semimaru.ehoh.net/ |
Tenkawa Shrine
Tenkawa Shrine in Tenkawa Village, Nara Prefecture, is a historic shrine dating back to the Asuka period. It is dedicated to Benzaiten, and is said to bestow blessings related to music and the performing arts. The statue of Benzaiten in the main sanctuary, normally closed to the public, is revealed once a year during the grand annual festival, when Noh performances and musical offerings by artists are also dedicated. It’s a shrine worth visiting not only for the first shrine visit of the New Year but also during the annual festival.
| Name | Tenkawa Shrine |
| Address | 107 Tsubouchi, Tenkawa-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture |
| Website | http://www.tenkawa-jinja.or.jp/ |