As you come out of Dogo Onsen Station you can see in front of you a large torii gate with a road leading steeply up a hill. At the top of the road is an even steeper flight of rough stone steps, topped by a towering vermillion red structure. This is Isaniwa Shrine, which sits above Dogo offering a fine view over Matsuyama.

You can enter the shrine freely and walk around the colonnade that encloses the buildings. If you’re lucky enough to be visiting when a wedding is being held, you can glimpse the bride and groom in their kimonos through the bars of the colonnade. Isaniwa Shrine is devoted to the god Hachiman, patron of warriors, and the shrine is decorated with several paintings of warriors and warfare, dating from various periods.

The shrine is said to have been founded on the site where Emperor Chuai and Empress Jingu bathed at Dogo Onsen. The current buildings were constructed in the Hachiman-zukuri style in 1667. The shrine is visually stunning with its red paint, gold leaf, its roofs of cypress bark and tile, and its semi-tropical greenery.