Temples and Shrines of Japan
Yuugen Guide is a review of temples and shrines across Japan for casual and educated travelers alike.
Yamanaka Suwa Jinja is a small shrine on the banks of Yamanaka Lake dedicated to the safety of children and to the safe birth of children. Many couples visit the shrine for luck concieving and healthy labor.
For the educated: 1. For the casual: 2.
Honestly there’s no real reason to go to this shrine other than to see a lovely little shrine. It’s well built, in a lovely location, and particularly beautiful in the autumn colors.
Hakone Jinja is considered one of the most significant shrines in the Kanto region (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama). Founded in 757 C.E., the shrine was founded as a source of good luck and good fortune. It was a shrine that was revered by warlords from Minamoto no Yoshitomo in the Heian/Kamakura Periods, to Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Edo Period. In fact, it was Minamoto no Yoritomo who is credited for boosting the reputation and notoriety of the shrine. It’s said that a giant nine-headed dragon was pacified by the priest of Hakone Jinja, and now that dragon serves the shrine to protect pilgrims and worshipers. Imagery and references can be found throughout the shrine to this dragon, most notably in the form of hand-cleansing basin with nine dragon heads dispensing water. The shrine is most known for its torii standing in the waters of Lake Ashinoko.
For the casual: 8. For the educated: 8.
So, to be clear, the only reason this shrine isn’t a 9 or a 10 is purely due to its distance from major hubs. Many people add a day trip to Hakone from Tokyo and in that regard it’s a very easy location to access, but it does require a full day trip. Is it worth it? I certainly think so because Hakone is a beautiful place to hike, bike, drive, bathe, and so much more. Hakone Jinja is certainly no exception to that. For starters, many readers have probably seen this shrine before and just don’t know it. The famous shots of this shrine are from the south shore of Lake Ashinoko looking to the north west where you can get Mt. Fuji and the water torii of Hakone Jinja in one shot. If that sounds familiar, then here you go!
Hakone Jinja is really known for it’s water torii and that means beautiful sights, but also long lines of people taking photos below the gate, by the gate, near the gate, and every other possibility. But that’s only one part of the shrine’s appeal! The shrine is also known for its surrounding forest which is original protected forest area. Some of the ceder pine trees are over 600 years old! In the middle of these amazing giant trees, the shrine stands in vermillion brilliance with gold capped finials. It’s a really amazing shrine with wonderful atmosphere.
The last part of the shrine requires a little bit of travel. The current location of Hakone Jinja actually not the original location, and instead the original shrine is up on the higher slopes of Mt. Hakone. It’s mainly accessable by the Komagatake Hakone Ropeway. The Hakone Mototsumiya Shrine is the original shrine to Mt. Hakone and the sulfur plumes which provides Hakone with its renowned hot springs.
In the dense forests of Yamanashi Prefecture, just outside of the city of Fuji Yoshida, Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja is the shrine marking the northern path leading to the summit of Mt. Fuji. The shrine is dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime, the goddess of all volcanoes across Japan. It’s not known when exactly the shrine was first established, but this shrine is one of over a thousand across Japan, and some of them date back to the Yayoi Period (~300 B.C.E. - 300 C.E.).
For the educated: 10. For the casual: 10.
Let’s start with the crucial and inequivocal truth: this is the shrine to Mt. Fuji. This is it! This is where, for centuries, pilgrims would recieve blessings to climb the mountain and have their faith rewarded via the steep incline. Beneath ancient pines, visitors can walk the long straight up to the first gate, then through to the inner shrine to pray. I visited just after New Years, and the lines to pray were so long we were sorted into groups, then subdivided again, then directed to a place to stand to wait our turn to pray. It was one hell of an ordeal, but worth every moment. Technically, the path through the shrine continues to the summit where the main shrine can be found.
Takeisao Jinja, also known as Kenkun Jinja, is a shrine atop Funaoka-san in northern Kyoto. While it seemed to me like this shrine, like so many others in Kyoto, had been built centuries ago in days of antiquity and aristocracy, in actuality this shrine was built in 1869 at the command of Emperor Meiji. Even more surprising, it’s a shrine dedicated to none other than Oda Nobunaga, the first of the Three Great Unifiers of medieval Japan. Oda had been cremated at Daitokuji just north of the mountain and his spirit was going to be enshrined by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but the shrine was never built until Emperor Meiji. Takeisao Jinja now serves the enshrined spirit of Oda Nobunaga as a deity of ambition and success, while also enshrining the Black Warrior, a mythical turtle with a snake for a tail. The Black Warrior is one of the four cardinal deities central to imperial city planning, personifying the auspicious mountains in the north that guard the emperor from attack (see my post in “Others” regarding Heijo-kyô).
For the educated: 6. For the casual: 4.
I really thought this shrine would be older, and was surprised when I read it wasn’t. Usually when a shrine is built on a bluff in a city, it’s usually to spot fires. Ok, onto the shrine itself.
This shrine is a lovely place to visit with lovely views and easy access. It really is just down the road from Kinkakuji. The layout itself is on the smaller size, and apart from praying there’s not much to do, but what I really enjoyed was the atmosphere. Healthy trees, nice views, and minimal disturbances left a very warm impression on me. This isn’t a shrine anyone needs to see, but considering it’s location it feels worth the effort the make the time if you’re in the area.
