Tokyo Shrines – A glimpse of the real Japan.

Shrine Number

音羽今宮神社

Otowaimamiya Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Gohage Shrine in Kyoto enshrines the god of hair. It is said that offering cut hair to the shrine brings blessings related to hair.

Shrine Number

桃祖神社

Momoso Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

After the Meiji Restoration, the Meiji government established a modern shrine ranking system based on the Engi-shiki.

Shrine Number

大京神社

Daikyo Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The professional staff who serve at shrines are called "priests. The term "priest" is also used to refer to the Shinto priesthood in general.

Shrine Number

The deity of Hiyoshi Shrine, Hie Shrine, and Sanno Shrine, which have about 3,800 shrines throughout Japan, is Oyakui, also known as "Hiyoshi God" or "Sanno Gongen. The deity is also the head deity of the Matsuo faith, which has Matsuo Taisha Shrine in Kyoto as its head shrine.

Shrine Number

出世稲荷

Shusse Inari Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Tenmangu Shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician of the Heian period. There are approximately 12,000 Tenmangu shrines and Sugawara shrines throughout Japan.

Shrine Number

小田急豊川稲荷

Odakyu-toyokawa Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The northernmost shrine in Japan is Cape Soya Shrine in Hokkaido.

Shrine Number

清水川稲荷神社

Shimizu-gawa Inari Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The Hachiman Shrine, affectionately known as "Hachiman-sama," is dedicated to Emperor Ojin (Honoritabetsumei). In the Middle Ages, he was worshipped by the warrior class as a warrior god.

Shrine Number

市谷亀岡八幡宮

Ichigaya-kameoka Hachimangu

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Visitors are required to stop in front of the torii gate and bow before passing through.

Shrine Number

筑土八幡神社

Tsukudo-hachiman Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The meaning of the tama gravel on the approach to shrines is that "tama" is the same as "tama" in the word "mitama," meaning beautiful, and that it is spread to keep the sacred place clean.

Shrine Number

弁財天社

Benzaiten-sha

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Osaka Prefecture is the head shrine of the 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan. The three Sumiyoshi deities were worshipped as gods of navigation and purification.

Shrine Number

宝禄稲荷神社

Houroku Inari Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Miko (shrine maidens) originally played a central role in Shinto, performing kagura (Shinto music and dance), praying, divination, and micturition.

Shrine Number

中井御霊神社

Nakai-goryo Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The presidency of the Honcho has been held by a female member of the Imperial Family for generations, and it is customary for the president to also serve as the chief priestess of Ise Jingu Shrine.

Shrine Number

天日鷲神社

Ameno-hiwashinokami Shrine

Shrine Number

十二社弁財天

Junisha Benzaiten

Shinjuku, Tokyo

About 90% of the site area of Ise Jingu Shrine is forest, which accounts for about one-sixth of the total area of Ise City.

Shrine Number

豊玉稲荷神社

Toyotama Inari Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Meiji Jingu Shrine usually attracts the largest number of visitors for Hatsumode (New Year's visit) in Japan. The number of visitors is approximately 3.2 million on the first three days of the year.

Shrine Number

改代稲荷神社

Kaitai Inari Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Including annexes and outlying regent shrines, Ise Jingu is the largest shrine in Japan in terms of area.

Shrine Number

柳稲荷大明神

Yanagi Inari Daimyojin

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Ookunitama Shrine is located in Fuchu City, Tokyo, and is the head shrine enshrining from the first to the sixth shrines of Musashi Province.

Shrine Number

熊鷹社

Kumatakasha

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Shrines have a rank that expresses their prestige, called "Shakkaku.

Shrine Number

天白稲荷神社

Tenpaku Inari Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The ema (votive tablet) of the Weather Shrine, which also appears in the movie "Weather Child," is in the shape of a geta (wooden clogs). The omikuji is in the shape of a teru teru bozu. The red seal is stamped with the day's weather.

Shrine Number

花園神社

Hnazono Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

A shrine is a place where Shinto deities are enshrined.

Shrine Number

金辯財天

Konben Zaiten

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Kanda Myojin is the general guardian deity of 108 town councils in central Tokyo, and its benefits include prosperous business, prosperity of the company, protection from disaster and misfortune, healing from illness, and marriage. It is also famous for the Kanda Festival, one of the three major festivals in Japan.

Shrine Number

新栄稲荷神社

Shinei Inari Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The highest shrine in Japan is Mt. Fuji Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Shrine Number

成子富士浅間神社

Naruko-fiji-asama Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

There are 22,000 priests in Japan, of which approximately 3,000 are women.

Shrine Number

高木神社

Takagi Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The custom of worship at Izumo-taisha is "Ni-hai (two worships, four claps, one bow, and one bow). In addition, during the annual festival in May, the worshippers bow with eight beats of the hand.

Shrine Number

新宿下落合氷川神社

Shinjuku-shimo-ochiai-hikawa Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The shrine grounds generally consist of a torii gate as the entrance to the shrine, a hand-watering basin, guardian dogs, a hall of worship, a main hall of worship, and regent shrines.

Shrine Number

鎧神社

Yoroi Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The hall of worship is the place where rituals and worship services are held, and in some cases also serves as a dance hall, kaguraden, and shrine office. Some shrines, including Ise Jingu, do not have a hall of worship.

Shrine Number

浅間神社

Asama Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Of all the Shinto shrines in Japan, about 20,000 are manned, and one priest often serves several shrines at the same time.

Shrine Number

稲荷鬼王神社

Inari Kio Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Atago Shrine in Minato Ward, Tokyo, is located on Mt. Atago, the highest mountain in the 23 wards as a natural terrain mountain.

Shrine Number

月見岡八幡神社

Tsukimigaoka-hachiman Shrine

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Komainu are the guardian animals of shrines. They are placed in pairs on the left and right, with the mouths of each pair representing the "A" and "Un" forms.

Shrine Number

鮫ヶ橋せきとめ稲荷

Samegahashi-sekidome Inari

Shinjuku, Tokyo

The only shrine in Japan dedicated to the god of weather is located in the Koenji Hikawa Shrine in Tokyo, and many visitors come to pray for clear skies and success in the meteorologist exam.