Tenjin Shrine near Tatsue

After leaving temple 19, Tatsue-ji, the route heads inland and passes this small rural shrine.

Dominated by a huge tree, possibly a Camphor, the shrine also had an unusually small shimenawa.

Though it was called a Tenjin Shrine, enshrining Sugawara Michizane, there were none of the usual indications of a Tenjin Shrine,.... no statues of an Ox, no ema wishing for success in school.

In fact it reminded me of a shrine near my village that is  a Tenjin shrine with a huge, ancient, tree.

The shrine was always simply the tree itself, but faced with closure by the government about 100 years ago the villagers quickly enshrined Tenjin there, and being a "national" kami were spared their shrines destruction.

Could well be that something similar had happened here.