Aso Shrine — Earthquake Recovery & Shinto Architecture

Aso Shrine, established in 281 AD, is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines and was famous for its three-story gate tower (romon, 楼門) — one of the tallest shrine gates in Japan at 18 meters. The 2016 earthquake completely collapsed the gate and damaged several shrine buildings. The reconstruction (completed 2023) used traditional methods: cypress wood, hand-forged nails, and mortise-tenon joinery without modern fasteners.

The shrine's reconstruction became a national heritage preservation project, documented for future generations to study traditional wooden architecture techniques.