At 3,400 hectares, this shrine's sacred grounds are Japan's second-largest after Ise Grand Shrine, encompassing entire mountains, Lake Chūzenji, and stretching from the peaks to downtown Nikkō.

The shrine worships a divine family across three mountains: father deity Ōnamuchi on Mt. Nantai, mother deity Tagorihime on Mt. Nyohō, and their son Ajisukitakahikone on Mt. Tarō.

The 'Meoto-sugi' (wedded cedars) share one root system but grow as two trees. Actor Hosokawa Shigeki proposed to his wife in front of this tree, saying he knew he couldn't let her go.

The name 'Nikkō' (日光) literally means 'sunlight,' but it originally came from 'Futara' (二荒). The kanji were changed to more auspicious characters: 二 (ni) + 荒 (kō) became 日 (sun) + 光 (light).