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Fukagawa and Suehiko Shrines are a short walk over the Seto River from the Seto-gura Museum and the Seto Ceramics and Glass Art Center in Seto, Aichi Prefecture.

The two adjacent shrines are both extremely old. Fukagawa Shrine is believed to be around 1,200 years old, dating back to the Nara Period of Japanese history, and the shrine's treasure house, has a pair of guardian dogs, komainu, made by the legendary potter Toshiro Kato, the founder of Seto's ceramic industry.

The roof of Fukagawa Shrine is covered with glazed, green, ceramic tiles called oribeyaki. Look out for the replica statue of a dog in the shrine's grounds near the main hall. Legend has it that during a dream a dog told Toshiro where to dig to find the high quality clay he was searching for. As a sign of thanks Toshiro crafted an image of a guardian dog (komainu) for the shrine. The originals are kept in the treasure house (see below for hours and admission fee).
Suehiko Shrine, next door, enshrines the spirit of master potter Toshiro Kato, who was active here in Seto in the 13th century.

Fukagawa Shrine
11 Fukagawacho
Seto-shi
Aichi Prefecture 489-0076
Tel: 0561 82 2764

Treasure House: 9am-4pm; 200 yen.

Seto city is best accessed on the Meitetsu Seto Line from Sakae-machi Station next to Oasis 21 in central Nagoya. By express train the journey time is 31 minutes or 38 minutes by local.

© JapanVisitor.com

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