Tetori Tenman Shrine

Tucked away in the backstreets of Kumamoto, just steps from the Nikko Hotel and the Suidocho tram stop, the Tetori Tenman Shrine is a haven of tranquility in an otherwise busy downtown area. Wash your hands at the stone basin and admire the colorful "ema" (prayer plaques) before making your appeal to the shrine's deity at the tiny main hall. Tetori Temangu is an offshoot of the larger Tenmangu Shrine in Dazaifu (Fukuoka Prefecture) which honors the great Heian-era scholar Sugawara no Michizane.