Ôkunitama Jinja

January 15, 2025 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Ôkunitama Jinja is arguably the most significant shrine in western Tokyo Prefecture and is considered one of the Five Major Shrines in Tokyo along with Meiji Jingû, Yasukuni Jinja, Hie Jinja, and Tôkyô Daijingû. The shrine claims to have been built almost two thousand years ago in in 111 C.E. by the oracle of the 12th emperor, Emperor Keikô. However, since Japan does not have a written record prior to the Asuka Period (c. 540 C.E.to 710 C.E.), Emperor Keikô is presumed to be a legendary figure, and the origins of the shrine cannot be verified. On the other hand, the shrine has been noted in the earliest official government documents of the Asuka Period when Tokyo was then called Musashi Provence. The shrine is home to many gods, but the key god enshrined is Ôkunitama which is another name for Ôkuninushi, son of Susanô-ô no kami, and is the heavenly embodiment of Japan (while the living embodiment is the emperor of course). Ôkuninushi’s main shrine is Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture, arguably the holiest shrine in Japan, so for Ôkunitama Jinja to be his home in Eastern Japan is a highly significant establishment. The main festival at Ôkunitama is the Kurayami Matsuri, or the “Darkness Festival,” which takes place every year during Golden Week and reaches its peak on May 5th, the day the shrine was said to have been founded. The festival gathers massive drums, mikoshi (portable shrines), and floats from all across the Kanto Region, and ends with priests riding sacred horses up and down the streets and shooting a target with an arrow for good luck. In Fall, the Kuri Matsuri (chestnut festival) brings equally large crowds with similar events and frivolities taking place.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

Ôkunitama Jinja is unlikely to be on your list of go-to places when visiting Tokyo, but I cannot recommend it enough. What’s there to miss? The shrine is massive, which is saying something for the crowded landscape that is the Tokyo Megalopolis. When everywhere leaves you feeling claustrophobic and overcrowded, Ôkunitama Jinja is a wide, wooded, relaxing break from it all with minimal crowds outside of festival season. When there are festivals, the shrine becomes heavily inundated with people, food stalls, and floats playing music while dancers wear masks and prance around as their characters. Mikoshi are carried around the neighborhoods, people standing atop giant drums are rolled through the streets, and priests ride sacred horses down the main street at night; what are you waiting for? I mentioned it above too, but the whole festival culminates with the head priest reenacting the shrine’s founding then getting on horseback to shoot a target with an arrow to bring peace for the next year. I say shoot but it’s more like the chief priest sitting on a horse while shooting the visual equivalent of a kid’s toy at a paper target a foot or so away. The horse, meanwhile, is clearly not ok with small flying objects near its face and needs to be held in check by its trainers. I have been very fortunate to live near the shrine and even more fortunate to be able to go to the Kurayami Matsuri multiple times, and for someone who enjoys photography in my spare time, there is so much to photograph particularly when the festival lasts for 4 days. Waiting for several hours between events can be a little rough, but I always love being able to walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds. If you’re in Japan for Golden Week, I highly recommend stopping by this shrine to at least enjoy an event or two.

The main shrine in the midst of the Kurayami Matsuri.

Each neighborhood has one of these giant drums and up to four people stand atop them as they’re pulled by ropes through the town.

On the third day, the *mikoshi* are paraded through the streets starting in the morning all the way till late at night.

Priests riding horses up and down the street on the penultimate night.

Kanayama Jinja (NSFW)

April 20, 2020 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Kanayama Jinja is a shrine in Kawasaki, a little south of Tokyo. Though the date of its founding is largely unknown, the practices that made this shrine well known began in the Edo Period and continue to this day. The shrine was originally founded to honor blacksmiths, but it changed over time to protect issues related to business, fertile harvests, and, well, let’s just say “love” for now. Every year there is the Kanamara Matsuri in early April which brings visitors from all over Japan and the world.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 1.

Before I keep going, I want to stress the NSFW aspect of the following review and the related vocabulary. If you are not of age (18 years+), please don’t read.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Well, let’s get real. The Kanamara Matsuri is also known as the Penis Festival. On any given day, visitors are welcome to the visual cornucopia of phalluses adorning, decorating, and inscribing everything from stones and anvils to flags and prayer boards. Visitors to shrines are welcome to buy small wooden placards upon which they write their wishes and dreams. At this shrine, many of the placards have adult imagery with some very very racey content from young anime girls fawning over a great big dick, jacked men jerking off, and so much more on every single placard.

Whatever the shrine is on a normal day, the festival amplifies it exponentially. A parade of enormous phalluses makes its way through the street, vendors sell penis lollipops, and souvenirs adorning the male genitalia are sold on shirts, towels, hats, and so much more. Often visitors feel the need to enhance their own lives with the contents of this festival and will make/wear their own festival-inspired attire. To say the least, the festival is a very popular occasion. Admitance to the shrine itself requires waiting in line for several hours, and this is the line you have to wait in if you want any of the penis sourvenirs from hats and towels to carved raddishes and carrots.

The parade itself I missed so I won’t be able to say much, but it’s like most any shinto parade except that the mikoshi, the portable shrines, are large penises instead of ornate lacquer boxes. Mascot-style vaginas will also march with the parade because firtility is not always about dicks. The parade is usually in the late morning and can be quite the rockous event with large crowds in attendance.

I’ll finish this with some quick thoughts. This event is really a foreigner party with lots and lots of dicks. My favorite part of the festival: the proceeds go to HIV research, so not only can you have a fun time, you can also support a good cause.

Ushima Jinja

November 12, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Ushima Jinja, also referred to as Ushijima Jinja, is a small shrine on the north end of Sumida Park in Asakusa. It was founded in 860 and is noted for surviving the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the fire bombs of WWII.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 6.

Ushima Jinja is a really cool shrine with some really cool things. The shrine has a a stone statue of a cow which is a source of good luck by rubbing the cow where you would like to be healed. Sumida Park is a great little break from the city with wonderful winding paths, and the shrine is definitely a great addition to the park. To the south are the headquarters of Asahi Brewing (what I will say is that they chose the wrong architect for that building). To the east is Tokyo Skytree Tower, the tallest tower in the world (not to be confused with tallest building). The only issue is the highway overpass which follows the west side of the park.

The statue of the healing cow is under the small overhang.

Asakusa Jinja

November 12, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Asakusa Jinja was built in the Kamakura period around the turn of the 13th century by the townsfolk. The shrine is dedicated to the three individuals who founded Sensôji, the temple only about 50 feet to the left of the shrine. Since it was the founding of the temple which essentially started the city of Asakusa, the three individuals, Hajinomatsuti (the local lord), Hamanari, and Takenari (the two fishermen who found the statue of Kannon) and thereby considered founders of the city. Every spring is the Sanja Matsuri, considered one of the three Great Festivals of Edo (Tokyo), which closes down the streets of Asakusa as people crowd the streets and religious sites.

For the casual: 9. For the educated: 9.

This quaint little shrine is a fun place to visit. Right next to Sensôji, Asakusa Jinja is connected to all of the same sorts of activities that visitors can take advantage of as Sensôji. Craft shops, yukata stores, and so much more are within walking distance of the shrine gates.

Mikoshi, palanquins that transport enshrined gods, make their way to Asakusa Jinja during the Sanja Matsuri.

The Sanja Matsuri is such a big event that they close down even the big streets for mikoshi and visitors to travel.

Shrine Maidens before performing for the Sanja Matsuri.

Tomioka Hachimangû

November 09, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Founded in 1627, Tomioka Hachimangû is the largest Hachimangû shrine in Edo (Tokyo). Like Kanda Jinja and Hikawa Jinja, Tomioka Hachimangû is one of the great shrines which forms a circle around the Tokyo city center; the old Edo Castle center. Tomioka Hachimangû is also known for having one of the 3 great matsuri (festival) in Tokyo as well as its mikoshi (portable golden shrine used in matsuri) and Grand Champion Sumo Wrestler Stone.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 7.

Centered in a really cool area of Koto ward, Tomioka Hachimangû is a beautiful shrine to visit. Mostly I would say go for the restaurants next door, but the shrine is also a really cool place to visit with a great old main hall, well kept grounds, and no tall buildings to block the warm sun.

Atago Jinja

November 07, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Founded in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Atago Jinja is an important shrine to the city of Tokyo, then Edo. Before all the buildings got really tall,. the cliff that Atago Jinja sits atop was once the tallest point in the city and therefore had a lookout for fires. In a city built of wood and paper, the need to identify fires was exponentially more important. The shrine is famous for one story where a young samurai on horseback rode up the stairs to the shrine to deliver the visiting shogun a branch of plum blossoms. It is said that the young samurai impressed the shogun and was promoted. The horse that the samurai rode was said to have taken only a matter of seconds to climb the stairway, while getting the horse back down took 45 minutes. Today, the shrine is associated with success whether it's business, personal, or academic; visitors climb the stairs and pray for success in future endeavors. Sound easy? You are so wrong. The stairs are called Shussei no Ishiden (Stone Steps to Success) and rise up 26 meters (85.3 feet) at a near vertical angle. Bravo if you can do it without stopping.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 8.

Try your skill at climbing these obnoxious stairs and then be rewarded with a small Italian bistro, a koi pond, a great view, and vending machines to quench your new insatiable thirst. This is definitely a feat of strength that will make you sore (the good kind) but deliver well deserved bragging points. So try it, take your time, and enjoy the beautiful gardens, pond, and shrine at the top of the cliff!