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Hie Shrine (日枝神社 Hie-jinja) is a Shintō shrine located in Nagatachō, Tōkyō. It is a popular venue for Shichi-Go-San (七五三) celebrations and famous for its Sannō Matsuri (山王祭), a festival held on June 15 and - along with the Kanda Matsuri and the Fukagawa Matsuri - one of three great festivals of Edo (the former name of modern-day Tōkyō).

History:

Hie Shrine in Tōkyō, also known as Hiyoshi Sannō-sha, Hiyoshi Sannō Daigongen-sha, Edo Sannō Daigongen among others, is one of 4,000 Hiyoshi shrines all over Japan. The principal shrine, Hiyoshi Taisha (日吉大社), is located in Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture and heads the seventh-largest network of shrines in Japan.

It is unclear when exactly Hie Shrine was built. While one source (a record found at the Kumano Nachi Taisha) states that the shrine was founded in the Kamakura Period on the grounds of the current Imperial Palace, another theory claims that it was established by Ōta Dōkan - the builder of Edo Castle and the founder of the castle town of Edo - as Sannō-Hie Shrine in 1478. In the Edo Period (1600-1867), the Tokugawa shōgun became the patrons of the shrine. The enshrined deity, Ōyamakui no kami (大山咋神), the god of Mount Hie, was also the guardian deity of Edo. In 1607, Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the shrine from Edo Castle to Hayabusa-chō; the shrine was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1657 and two years later rebuilt at its present location. In 1945, Hie Shrine burned down after an air raid and was completely reconstructed in 1958.

Style:

Hie Shrine was constructed in the gongen-zukuri (権現造) style. In gongen-zukuri, the worship hall (拝殿 haiden), the passageway (中殿 chūden), and the main sanctuary (本殿 honden) are connected under one complex roof construction. The outer surfaces of the shrine are lacquered in vermilion. The haiden, the heiden (幣殿, offering hall), the honden, as well as the main gate (楼門 rōmon), were designated national treasures.

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The main torii gate and stairs leading up to Hie Shrine

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The main gate (楼門 rōmon) to the shrine

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The honden of Hie Shrine

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Monkeys are considered the messengers of the local kami (deity) and can be found everywhere.

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Ema (絵馬, lit. "picture-horse") are small wooden plaques in which worshippers write prayers or wishes.

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Torii gates at the other side of the hill

More pictures in the Hie Shrine album.

Address:

2-10-5 Nagata-chō, Chiyoda-ku, Tōkyō; phone: 03-3581-2471; fax: 03-3581-2077

Access:

  • from Akasakamitsuke Sta. (by Ginza or Marunouchi lines, 8-minute walk)
  • from Akasaka Sta. (by Chiyoda Line, 8-minute walk)
  • from Kokkaigijidomae Sta. (by Marunouchi or Chiyoda Line, 8-minute resp. 5-minute walk)
  • from Nagatachō Sta. (by Yurakuchō or Hanzōmon lines, 8-minute walk)