It may not look like much, but this shrine, founded roughly 1300 years ago, has a serious historic pedigree: it has harboured general Minamoto Yoshitsune (taking refuge from his murderous brother Yoritomo, the first Kamakura shogun) and emperor Go-Daigo, and warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi hosted a 5000-person hanami (blossom-viewing) party here in 1594. On display are a mishmash of artefacts from the shrine's long history.
From Kimpusen-ji, continue 300m to a side road to the left (the first turn past the post office), leading to the shrine. There are good views back to Kimpusen-ji and the hito-me-sen-bon (1000 trees at a glance) viewpoint.
