Nearest station

Ishikawadai

Tōkyū Ikegami Line

Tōkyō-to, Ōta-ku, Higashi-Yukigaya 2-25-1

東京都大田区東雪谷2-25-1

八幡神社雪谷
Yukigaya Hachiman Jinja

October 13, 2017

History

The shrine legend is that sometime during the Eiroku Period (1557-1569), Ōta Shinrokurō, a retainer of Hōjō Ujiyasu and the great-grandson of Ōta Dōkan, was on an inspection tour of clan properties in Yukigaya when a stone monument bearing a Lotus Sutra mandala was unearthed. Interpreting this as an auspicious omen, he enshrined Hachiman Dai Bosatsu on the spot. During the Edo Period two temples were founded in Yukigaya, Chōkei-ji (長慶寺) founded in 1598, and Enchō-ji (円長寺), 1630, and these served in alternate years as the bettō-ji for what was by then the Hachiman Jinja. Towards the end of the Bakufu, in 1863 to be precise, the main hall was rebuilt, followed by the prayer hall in 1870 and the inner sanctuary in 1895. The twentieth century saw the destruction of the shrine in the fire bombings of 1945; in 1959 it was rebuilt.

Description

About 150 m from exit 2 of Ishikawadai station. The visually most interesting aspect of this shrine is doubtless the main hall, but there is much else worth looking at, even if of historical

Enshrined Kami:

Main

Hondawake-no-mikoto 誉田別命

In-ground Shrines:

Yaku Jinja 薬神社

Inari Jinja 稲荷神社

Tenjin-sha 天神社

Katō Jinja 加藤神社

Sarutahiko Jinja 猿田彦神社

Sui Jinja 水神社

Oyamazumi Jinja 大山祇神社

Earliest mention of: 1557?

Annual Festival: Middle Saturday/Sunday of September

Stone plaque with Japanese kanji characters for Hachiman-gu.

Japanese Ema wooden plaque with mother and baby illustration

rather than aesthetic appeal. Four of the in-ground shrines (massha) are grouped together in one small hall, while the seven-item group of stone monuments (kōshin) has been declared a cultural asset (bunkazai) by Ōta-ku. These were all commisisoned by local people and were originally scattered around the then village of Yukigaya but over a period of two centuries (1661-1857) were moved into the shrine grounds. The Nichiren Buddhist sect was very strong in the area and this is reflected in the style of the kōshin

(Click on images to expand them)

Stone torii gate entrance to a Japanese shrine with trees

Stone torii gate entrance to a Japanese shrine with purple banners.

Stone torii gate with shimenawa rope at a Shinto shrine

Stone stairs leading to a Torii gate at a Shinto shrine

Stone torii gate with shimenawa rope at a Japanese shrine

Stone torii gate entrance to a Japanese shrine

Wooden torii gate at a Japanese shrine entrance

Stone path leading to a traditional Japanese shrine entrance

Komainu statue with Shimenawa rope and Shide papers

Stone Komainu lion-dog statue with shide paper streamers

Traditional vermilion Japanese Shinto shrine surrounded by trees

Traditional Japanese paper lantern with calligraphy

Red Shinto shrine building surrounded by lush trees.

Intricate wood carvings on a Shinto shrine roof

Intricate dragon wood carving on 13-111-02 temple architecture

Intricate traditional wood carving of a dragon and animals.

Traditional Japanese Chozuya water pavilion at a shrine

Stone komainu lion-dog statue at a Japanese shrine purification fountain

Three stone Buddhist statues in a wooden outdoor shrine

Small Shinto shrine with orange torii gate and flags.

Small vermilion torii gate leading to a Shinto shrine.

Red Japanese shrine plaque with black kanji calligraphy.

Framed Japanese calligraphy sign displaying kanji characters.

Japanese calligraphy in a wooden frame for 13-111-02

Japanese calligraphy of Tenjin Shrine in a wooden frame

Japanese calligraphy in a wooden frame reading Kato Shrine

Small Japanese Shinto shrine with shide paper streamers

Small Japanese shrine with blue and red banners

Small wooden Shinto shrine with white paper shide hangs.

八幡神社雪谷 Yukigaya Hachiman Jinja

八幡神社雪谷
Yukigaya Hachiman Jinja