- Mitsuminejinja Shrine has a history of more than 1,900 years.
- Mitsuminejinjya Shrine, located in a quiet mountainous area, is guarded not by guardian dogs but by a wolf.
- Access to Mitsuminejinjya Shrine
- Parking around Mitsuminejinja Shrine
- Mitsuminejinja Shrine Official Website
- Recommended around Mitsuminejinja Shrine
Mitsuminejinja Shrine has a history of more than 1,900 years.
Mitsuminejinja Shrine is located on Mt. Mitsumine in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture (1,102 meters above sea level) and is one of the “Chichibu Sanja” (three shrines), along with Chichibu Shrine and Hodosan Jinja Shrine.
Sambu” refers to the three mountains Myoho-gatake, Shiraiwa, and Mt.
The shrine is said to have been founded during the reign of Emperor Keiko (71 AD – 130 AD). It is said to have been founded in memory of Izanagi and Izanami, who created the country, when the prince of Emperor Keiko, Nihon no Musunon (son of Emperor Keiko), climbed the three peaks during his expedition to the east.
Izanagi and Izanami are deities who appear in Japanese mythology and are said to have created the land of Japan in mythology.
In the Nara period (710-794), when Buddhism began to flourish, Shintoism and Buddhism were combined, and Shinto rituals were performed by priests until the Meiji Restoration.
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), belief in Mt. Mitsumine spread, and it came to be revered especially by warriors in the eastern part of Japan.
However, during the Nanbokucho Period (1336-1392), warriors who opposed the Ashikaga clan hid in the Mitsumine Mountains, and the Mitsuminejinjya Shrine was confiscated.
In 1503, Gekkan Michimitsu, a mountain ascetic, lamented the devastation of Mt. Mitsumine, and with the desire to restore the shrine, he made a 27-year journey across Japan to raise funds for the restoration, which was accomplished in 1530.
After the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), temples were abolished due to the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, and the shrine was renamed “Mitsuminejinjya Shrine” to this day.
Mitsuminejinjya Shrine, located in a quiet mountainous area, is guarded not by guardian dogs but by a wolf.
In Mitsumine, where the Mitsuminejinjya Shrine is located, there is a long-standing belief in the “Yamainu (mountain dog) faith”.
The term “dependents” refers to wolves (mountain dogs).
While most shrines have a guardian dog placed at the entrance, at “Mitsuminejinjya Shrine” a wolf is placed in front of the torii gate as a guardian deity, and wolf statues are placed throughout the shrine grounds.
The reason why it is a wolf and not a guardian dog is because it is said that a wolf guided the way for the Japanese deity Takemikoto, who is believed to have founded this shrine, when he climbed Mt.
The wolf is also said to ward off various misfortunes because of its bravery, and is affectionately called “oinu-sama” (dog-sama) or “gozoku-sama” (family deity).
For this reason, “Mitsuminejinjya Shrine” offers a prayer called “Gokusetsu-sama (thanksgiving for one’s dependents).
This is to borrow a “wolf” for a year as an omikazuchi (sacred card) and pray for the protection of the community and the family from disasters and illness.
Why not try praying for the “Mihitoyoshi-Kaiyaku” when you come to “Mitsuminejinjya Shrine”?
By absorbing the energy of the divine and spiritual energy of “Mitsuminejinjya Shrine” into your body, your body will be purified and you will gain new vitality. I feel such power resides in “Mitsuminejinjya Shrine.
Access to Mitsuminejinjya Shrine
298-1 Mimine, Chichibu-shi, Saitama 369-1902
Parking around Mitsuminejinja Shrine
Mitsuminejinja Shrine Official Website
Official site：http://www.mitsuminejinja.or.jp/