Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
1 day ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
2 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
3 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Kyoto Denden-gu
AO Edited

Denden-gu

A small shrine dedicated to a god of lightning and electronics.

Kyoto, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Dendengu   Nnh
Dendengu   Nnh
  YOSHIFUMI OGISO
  Karasuma-Oike
Monument to Thomas Edison and Heinrich Hertz   YOSHIFUMI OGISO / CC BY-SA 3.0
  Nnh
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Denden-Myōjin is a minor lightning deity once worshipped in some small areas of early medieval Kyoto, identified with a god of agriculture and associated with paddy cultivation, which has a great significance in Japan since rice has been its staple since antiquity.

The only shrine dedicated to Denden-Myōjin was built in the Hōrin-ji Temple complex, an example of Shinto-Buddhism syncretism. Although it was a popular place of worship among the locals, it was lost in the fire during the Hamaguri Gate Rebellion of 1864, not to be restored for another near-century.

In 1956, the mini-shrine was brought back to life in the post-World War II advent of technological innovations, at the suggestion of the then-director of the Kinki Radio Regulatory Board. Denden-Myōjin received a modern update, a new position as the deity of electricity and radio waves given to him. Additionally, a temple-style monument was erected in honor of Thomas Edison and Heinrich Hertz, an unusual sight in the otherwise traditional Shinto shrine.

As time passed by and the world entered a new age of technology, Denden-Myōjin's godly role was expanded to encompass the field of computer science. Today, the shrine is especially popular among computer technicians, programmers, telephone service providers and the like, as well as owners of electric vehicles, whose safety is prayed for by the Hōrin-ji.

If you ever visit this shrine, be sure to check out its unique omamori charms too: they come in the form of a 16-gigabyte SD memory card, embracing both the ancient Shinto tradition and modern technology.

Related Tags

Electricity Temples Gods Shrines
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

August 2, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.kokuzohourinji.com/dendengu.en.html
Denden-gu
Arashiyama Kokuzoyamacho
Nishikyo Ward
Kyoto, 616-0006
Japan
35.009741, 135.677976
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Kimono Forest

Kyoto, Japan

miles away

Tenryu-Ji Shrine's Bamboo Trail

Kyoto, Japan

miles away

Sagano Bamboo Forest

Kyoto, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kyoto

Kyoto

Japan

Places 46
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Kimono Forest

Kyoto, Japan

miles away

Tenryu-Ji Shrine's Bamboo Trail

Kyoto, Japan

miles away

Sagano Bamboo Forest

Kyoto, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kyoto

Kyoto

Japan

Places 46
Stories 5

Related Places

  • Just a couple of elephant-gods tangling their trunks together.

    Shiroi, Japan

    Embracing Kangiten of Torimi Shrine

    A rare public effigy of “the Embracing Kangiten,” the erotic Japanese equivalent of Hindu god Ganesha.

  • The temple of Ehécatl.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Pyramid of Ehécatl

    The ruins of an ancient temple to the Aztec wind god discovered in the middle of a metro station.

  • Izumo-shi, Japan

    Izumo-Taisha

    What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

  • A view from the temple.

    Taipei, Taiwan

    Hunglodei Nanshan Fude Temple

    A temple featuring a giant Tudigong statue, quirky roadside dinosaurs, and stunning Taipei panoramas.

  • The city pillar

    Vientiane, Laos

    Hor Lak Muang

    The site of an ancient city pillar that was lost and rediscovered.

  • Pune, India

    Amruteshwar Siddheshwar Temple Complex

    A cluster of 18th-century temples with an underground shrine.

  • Prince Morinaga’s Dungeon.

    Kamakura, Japan

    Prince Morinaga's Dungeon

    The alleged site of the months-long imprisonment of a Japanese prince.

  • Kamiiso no Torii gate at Ōarai Isosaki Jinja shrine

    Oarai, Japan

    Kamiiso no Torii

    A lone torii arch stands on a coastal rock where a deity is said to have landed.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.