Terukuni-jinja was built in 1864 to enshrine Shimazu Nariakira, the reforming lord who turned the Satsuma domain into Japan's first industrial state. The huge concrete torii at the entrance is one of the largest in southern Japan and is the unmissable landmark of the city centre.
The shrine itself is modest in scale, with a gravel forecourt under tall camphor trees that filter the heat in summer. Most evenings it is empty; in early November the Ohara Matsuri fills the surrounding streets with thousands of dancers in matching yukata, the largest folk-dance festival in Kyushu. It is the natural starting point for the walk up Shiroyama.