Aso Shrine is said to have a history of around 2500 years. When you go through Miyaji in Ichinomiya Town of Aso City, a large tower gate will leap out at you. Twelve deities starting with Takeiwatatsu-no-mikoto who is said to be the first pioneer of Aso and a grandchild of the Emperor Jinmu are enshrined there. Until before the Second World War it was the only state-supported shrine in Kumamoto Prefecture. There are 461 shrines with the divided spirits throughout the prefecture, and some are even in Kanto and Tohoku regions. The approach runs parallel to the shrine. A wooden sword which an image of a dragon was carved on the hilt is enshrined on the tower gate. Tradition says a dragon, an incarnation of Takeiwatatsu-no-mikoto, eradicates calamities if you go through the gate. The set of agricultural rituals performed at the shrine like Onda and Tanomi Festivals was designated as a nation’s significant intangible folk cultural asset in 1982.