Akasaka’s Hie-jinja Shrine

Guard of Edo castle

Tomoko Kamishima Mar 14, 2013 - 1 min read

Approach to one of the small shrines inside Hie-jinja

Mother and a boy playing by the Chino-wa ring (religious ring)

Beautiful hydrangeas on the shrine grounds

When Tokugawa Ieyasu set up the Bakufu government (Shogunate) in Edo, Hie-jinja was enshrined inside of Edo Castle (modern day Imperial Palace) as a guard against evil spirits. In 1659, the fourth Shogun Ietsuna moved it to its current location. Hie-jinja is also known as San-no-sama, and has a big biennial festival (San-no Matsuri) on June 15. People visit this shrine wishing for a happy marriage life, the blessing of children, and a safe delivery. The Pair of Monkeys seen at the shrine symbolizes those wishes.

Tomoko Kamishima @tomoko.kamishima

Japan is a small island nation, but we have a huge number of surprising things to discover here. Many of these delights can be found when you step off the main street onto small side paths. I really enjoy studying about and researching various aspects of traditional Japanese culture, and then sha...