Shirotori jinja

Located on Mt. Maizuru, on the west side of the road from central Matsushiro to Jizo Pass, Shiratori Shrine was transferred by Sanada Nobuyuki, the first lord of Matsushiro Domain, from the Unno family's shrine in Chiisagata-gun when he moved from Ueda Castle to Matsushiro Castle. Matsushiro, rich in historical sites and cultural properties, surrounds the shrine with temples and old houses. The shrine is on a mountain, making it somewhat hard to locate on maps, with an entrance behind the traffic police station. The path to the shrine is wide enough for vehicles but closed to cars except during festivals. It takes about 5 minutes to reach the shrine from the lower torii gate.

As the guardian deity of the Matsushiro Domain Sanada family until the Edo period, Shiratori Shrine features a red torii gate and a stone staircase leading to the worship hall, which is also surrounded by a red-painted fence. Normally accessible for worship, the hall was closed during the visit.

Next to the path, a wooden sacred horse crafted by the Suwa craftsman Tachikawa is housed in a dark enclosure, making it hard to see. The shrine's location on the hillside of Mt. Maizuru and its connection to the Sanada family make it an interesting site.