Aso

Aso is a great volcanic landscape in the interior of Higo, its inhabited basin enclosed by the rim of a vast caldera. Worship at Aso Shrine became intertwined with reverence for the volcano and its crater. The hereditary priests of the Aso family also became local warriors and lords, reaching the height of their power in the Kamakura and Northern and Southern Courts periods. Their lands and religious authority made the shrine a political as well as a sacred centre.