Kanda Myôjin

October 01, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Kanda Myôjin is one of the most famous shrines in the Kanto area. Sitting atop a hill near Akihabara, Kanda shrine has three beings enshrined there: two gods and a famous warrior. The gods enshrined are 2 of the 7 Lucky Gods: Daikokuten, god of the good harvest, and Ebisu, the god of fishermen and businessmen. Last to be enshrined is Taira no Masakado, a major player in warrior legends by revolting against the imperial court. After being hunted down and beheaded by his friends and family, it is said that he became an angry ghost and his head flew from his grave to a small fishing village of Shibazaki which would later be Edo (Tokyo). In the 14th century a plague began to spread in Shibazaki and it was attributed to the fact that Masakado's anger had yet to be sated, so the villagers removed the head from the small shrine they had constructed to remedy his anger when he first arrived (see Tsukudo Jinja), and moved it to Kanda Myôjin where he remains today.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 9.

Kanda Myôjin is a very fun place to go and during matsuri (festival) season because it is host to the Kanda Matsuri, one of the biggest in the Kanto area making it is one of the best places to be in Tokyo. All together Kanda Myôjin is a beautiful shrine with a rich history and fun present. When the festival is not in full swing, it’s also a nice place to go when you want to get away from some of the crowds of Akiharaba, but because of its close proximity, Kanda Myôjin does have special talismans that bear images of anime girls.

Benten-do

September 30, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Earlier I talked about Enoshima Jinja which was dedicated to Benzaiten, a Chinese goddess who was incorporated into Shinto belief but is also found in Buddhist contexts as well. Like Enoshima Jinja, Benten-do is on an island in the middle of a large pond in Ueno Park. Benzaiten is believed to live on an island which is why you can find her temples/shrines in locations associated with water.

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

Much of the beauty of this temple comes from what time of the year it is. The pond is filled with lotus flowers making it amazing in late summer, but the rest of the time it can be a little difficult to look at. The temple is a lovely building with a massive lantern taking up much of the interior.

Gojôten Jinja

September 30, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Another shrine tucked away in Ueno Park, this shrine is not as flashy as Ueno Tôshôgû, but it is far more accessible and has its own little bits of beauty. There isn't any information that I know particularly about this shrine other than it too used to be a part of the Kaneiji temple complex which covered what is Ueno Park today, and it is home to a small Inari shrine as well as a city shrine to the people and prosperity of Ueno.

To the casual: 7. To the educated: 3.

Ueno Tôshôgû

September 30, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Ueno Tôshôgû is a miniature version of the very famous shrine complex up in the mountains in the town of Nikko. This shrine was originally constructed in 1686 and was part of the Kaneiji temple complex before it was burned down during the rise of the Meiji Emperor in the late 19th century. This shrine is dedicated to the founder of the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and each metal lantern lining the path to the shrine was donated by the daimyo (warrior nobility) to the Tokugawa Shogunate of the Edo period to celebrate and ensure the peace created by the Tokugawa family. As a modern addition to this shrine, there is a small little memorial to those who died in the two atomic bombings of Japan with a small flame alight, this one being the origin of the two flames now burning at both the Hiroshima Memorial and the Nagasaki Memorial.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 7

This shrine is beautiful and it's a wonderful treasure among the many tucked into various corners around Ueno park, but this small shrine is not accessible to the public so really all visitors can do is look and take pictures. Plus, once visiting the real Tôshôgû in Nikko, there's this odd feeling like this shrine could have been more, but I guess that really depends on context. Years ago this shrine would have been a gem in one of the largest temple complexes in the Kanto area, but instead it stands alone surrounded by cafes and museums. All the same, for being an addition to a temple which is no longer there, it is one incredible little shrine.

Enoshima Jinja

September 30, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Enoshima Jinja is a shrine which takes up most of Enoshima island which can be found in Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, about an hour and a half south of Tokyo by train out of Shinjuku. This shrine is dedicated to Benzaiten, a goddess originating in Chinese mythology and later being incorporated into Shinto belief. She represents the flow of all things like money, music, and water. Most visitors come to this shrine to pray for good luck financially, a sentiment that is backed up by the fact that visitors toss their prayer donations into a large money sack shaped container.

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

Enoshima Shrine is a fun place to visit because it essentially takes up the whole island where it is constructed. Crossing the bridge, visitors can look to the west and can see Mt. Fuji standing high above the clouds while the shimmer of the blue water invites many for a refreshing swim. The island itself has a path which winds its way around, and though it will have bouts of steep stairs, it's nothing too rigorous with escalators you can pay to ride if it is too much trouble. Once reaching the top, there is a lighthouse you can pay to go up with planted gardens and peace benches. Once at the top of the tower, visitors get a better view of the coast, Mt. Fuji, and on a clear day you can even see all the way back to Tokyo.

Base of the stairs climbing up the cliff face to Enoshima Jinja.

Hanazono Jinja

September 28, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Shrine

Hanazono Shrine is a very peaceful beautiful shrine hidden in the heart of the Shinjuku city center. It's not far from the train station and it really is surrounded by the massive skyscrapers which make up the largest city in the Tokyo area. Yet for all the busy city life which surrounds this shrine, it is completely blocked out upon entering. In spring the cherry trees blossom and the occasional flea market sets up along the main walkway into the shrine.

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

Hanazono shrine is beautiful and a great place to visit especially for those who happen to be in the area. As a casual visitor, it doesn't take much effort or planning to leave the main shopping areas of Shinjuku only a block or two away. Educated visitors will also enjoy the shrine for its beauty and relativity to other things to do, but there isn't a major backstory to the shrine as to why it is there. Simply, the shrine was built to the gods of harvest back when Shinjuku was farmlands, and since then the city has been built up around it.