Shiba Daijingu and Shiba Toshogu
For those who do not speak Japanese, the names of shrines and temples can be very confusing. Some have several names and some sound similar to others. For example, Shiba Daijingu and Shiba Toshoyu. There is little recorded about these two shrines, especially in English, and therefore they can easily be confused with each other. The other day, I visited both of these shrines. Here is what I thought of each:
Shiba Daijingu
The Shiba Daijingu shrine comes from the year 1005. This shrine is dedicated to two deities- Amaterasu-Omikami (the sun goddess) and Toyoukeno-Okami (the god of architecture and industry). This shrine, like most in Tokyo, is placed right in the center of the city. The property is relatively small but it is very beautiful. The temizuya can be easy to miss. For those who plan to visit, as you reach the shrine, it is to the left past the bench. This shrine is somewhat quiet, but is not always that way. Shiba Daijingu acts as a popular wedding venue.
Shiba Toshogu
Much like the Shiba Daijingu, the Shiba Toshogu is relatively small. However, the Shiba Toshogu shrine is famous for two reasons. First, the shrine contains a wooden sculpture of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first shogun of the Edo Period of Japan. Ieyasu requested for the sculpture to be made for him when he was sixty years old. Ieyasu is credited for uniting Japan as a nation, therefore this sculpture is highly prized. Secondly, there is a ginko tree on the property that is 350 years old and was planted by the third shogun of Japan, Iemitsu Tokugawa. This tree has been listed as a National Treasure. Personally, the Shiba Toshogu is one of my favorite shrines in Tokyo. For some reason, I feel very at peace here. When I visited, the shrine was silent. This was a big contrast from the city. Also, the shrine itself is very colorful, which I found unique. I also noticed there was only one person working on the property. Overall, I found Shiba Toshogu to be very charming and I would recommend everyone to go visit it.
| Name | Shiba Daijingu |
|---|---|
| Japanese name | 芝大神宮 |
| Kami( ?) | Amaterasunoomikami（天照大神） |
| Address | 10-8-4 Shibakoen Minatoku Tokyo |
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| Goshuin(?) | |
| Website | http://shibadaijingu.com/ |
| Other |
| Name | Shibatoshogu |
|---|---|
| Japanese name | 芝東照宮 |
| Kami( ?) | Tokugawa Ieyasu |
| Address | 4-8-10 Shibakoen MInatoku Tokyo |
| Direction | The Tokyo metro Oedo line at Daimon |
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| Goshuin(?) | |
| Website | http://shibatoshogu.com/ |
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