A Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Travel Destination! Visit the Kamado Shrines of Kyushu

The Kamado Shrine (宝満宮竈門神社) of Fukuoka has been around for over 1350 years, first established in the year 673. For many of those years it has been a popular shrine for "enmusubi" (縁結び), praying for good relationships, and it still frequently hosts Shinto marriage ceremonies. Until quite recently, the shrine was a somewhat minor destination, drawing small crowds from the much bigger nearby attraction of Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine (太宰府天満宮).

Of course, its reputation has changed in just the past few years, thanks to the explosive rise in popularity of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba!

On the shrine grounds are the "90 Demon-Built Steps," which come with their own local demon legend. As the story goes, a demon was ravaging the local village, coming to eat people nightly, and destroying everything the people had built. When it all became too much for the villagers, they prayed to the god Hachiman to save them, and he answered. Hachiman's response was to tell the demon that if he could not build 100 stone steps before sunup, he would be punished, and would have to leave the villagers alone and never come back. Well, as you can see from a visit, the demon only made it to 90, before being scared off at the break of dawnーnever to return! It sounds like the kind of deal Tanjiro might try to make, too.

There's also the "demon's forgotten stone sandal" (鬼が忘れた石草履) which will apparently bring you courage... if you dare to put your own foot inside!

Considering they come from the same Japanese legends and imagery, it's no surprise that visitors comment on how much the Hachiman Kamado Shrine's dragon painting looks like the dragons that appear for Tanjiro's more advanced techniques!