With Lake Suwa nearby, Suwa Taisha’s four main shrines have been standing amongst the forests and in veneration of Mount Moriya for over a millennium. For a trek through some of Japan’s oldest Shinto shrines, earmark a day for a pilgrimage in the heart of Nagano Prefecture. As with many shrines in Japan, the origins of Suwa Taisha are murky. Although it has the honor of being mentioned in Japan’s oldest historical texts from the eighth century, how far its roots stretch back is unknown. According to legend, Maemiya Shrine was the first of the four shrines to be founded by Takeminakata, a deity…