Shinagawa Shrine
Updated: Jun 26, 2018
Shinagawa shrine was opened in 1187 in Kamakura period.
Because Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa prayed for his victory in the Sekigahara battle and won it, the shrine was under the protection of Tokugawa shogunate government.
That's why its family insignia is the same as Tokugawa family, which is `Mitsuba-aoi.
In the site of the shirine, there is a miniture of Mt. Fuji, (Fujizuka).
This comes from a belief called `Fuji-ko', which connects to the idea that we believe Mt. Fuji.
Althogh there are almost 50 of the similar minitures of Mt. Fuji in Tokyo, this one is the highesst-15m. As is often the case of them, it is covered by lava rockes deliverd from Mt. Fuji.
It is built in 1869-1872 .
The torii gate of Shinagawa shine was built in 1925.
Each side of the torii have the engraving of a dragon, one is going up and the other is going down.
They are protecting the shrine.
There are tree `Soryu-torii` (which literally means `a torii with a pair of dragons') in Tokyo.
They are Koen-ji, Mabashi inari jinja and Shinagawa shrine, and the Shinagawa's is the oldest.
Another shrine next to he main shirine called `Ana Inari Shrine' consistss of two small shrines.
The upper shrine is Ana Inari Kamisha which is enshrined the blessings of the earth,.
The lower shrine, Ana Inari Shimosha enshrines the blessing of heaven, and there is a fountain called `hitotsubu- manbai-no-izumi, which comes from the idea that a seed of rice becomes 10,000 times of rice. It is said that if you wash coins or take the water to your property and sprinkle it, you'll become luckier with money.
The festival is held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nearst 7 June.
The highlight of it is that people carry the portable shrins of over 1 ton weight up on the steepy steps.
