Asahi jinja

Togura Monju-do in Kinasa, Nagano City, is known as one of Japan's three great Monju temples.
Nestled among the trees along the mountains leading to Okususobana, Monju-do enshrines the Daisei Chie Monju Bosatsu, said to have been made by Kobo Daishi and the guardian Buddha of Kiso Yoshinaka.
According to legend, while Yoshinaka advanced into Hokuriku, he left his guardian deity in this place. When he died in battle, his second son, Rikisumaru, built a hall to enshrine the principal image.

Located on a hill overlooking the road to Okususobana, Monju-do was expanded in 1923.
The building, with a frontage of two bays and a depth of three and a half bays, features a deep irimoya-zukuri style.
The interior is divided into outer and inner sanctuaries, with the inner sanctuary housing a small scale Shumidan altar and two miniature shrine structures.
Originally, the shrine enshrined Amatsuhikone no Mikoto, but the deity was later moved to Kamo Shrine, leaving only this building.

Asahi-sha, located on a slightly elevated spot to the right of Monju-do, is accessed via stone steps.
The irimoya-zukuri structure shows signs of deterioration.
Elements such as the column and rainbow beam at the boundary between the inner and outer sanctuaries date back to the late 17th century, reflecting styles from the early Edo period.
It is believed that materials from the predecessor building of Monju-do were used to construct this shrine, giving it the appearance of a Buddhist temple.