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Nearest station

Kitasenju

JR Joban, Subway Chiyoda & Hibiya Lines

Tōkyō-to, Adachi-ku, Senju Ōkawa-chō 12-3

東京都足立区千住大川町12-3

氷川神社 (大川町)

   Hikawa Jinja (Ōkawa-chō)

Home page: None

September 6, 2017

Enshrined Kami:  

Main

Susano-o-no mikoto               須佐之男命

Ukanomitama-mikoto         倉稲魂命

From Merged Shrines

In-ground Shrines: 

Sengen Jinja                                     浅間神社

Earliest mention of:  1294

Annual Festival:    September 15

History

The forerunner of the current shrine was a small jinja erected in 1294 to enshrine the spiritual protector of the area, Susano-o-no mikoto. Along with the development attendant on Senju becoming a post station, the shrine became recognized as the tutelary deity for what was then Senju 5-chome, and in keeping with the betto-ji system was placed under the administrative guidance of the Seirinzan-chofuku-ji Temple located at Senju 5-17-9.  Jumping forward several centuries, it was moved to its present location in November 1915 as part of the Arakawa Drainage Project (荒川放水路開削工事). The main hall was rebuilt in 1967.

Description

About 1.2kms on foot from the west exit of Kitasenju Station. It is one of the Senju Shichi Fukujin locations, Hotei is the deity, and is about 800ms away from another of the Senju Shichi Fukujin locations, Senjumoto Hikawa Jinja, where Daikokuten is

the relevant deity.

The shrine is of more historic than visual appeal, and two monuments in its grounds are of particular interest. The first of these is one of the main pillars of the old Senjushinbashi (Senshu New Bridge). This was also part of the Arakawa Drainage Project: work on it started in 1912 and was completed in 1916. It was moved to the shrine in 1976. The other is an engraved stone monument  celebrating the importance of the paper making industry to the area. Commissioned by the Bakufu in 1843 it was moved to te shrine in 1917, again because of the Arakawa Drainage Project.

The shrine also has one of the twelve Fujizuka in Adachi-ku. Its full name is Senju Kawada Sengen Jinja Fujizuka (千住川田浅間神社富士塚) and it was built in 1824 in Kawada, in what is now Motojuku, a little to the northwest of the current location. This Fujizuka is quite small, just 3m high, and is made of lava from Mt. Fuji.  It originally housed three shrines, Hikawa Sha, Inari Jinja and Sengen Jinja. Again because of the Arakawa Drainage Project it was moved to slightly west of its current location in 1916, before occupying its current site in 1968 as a result of work on the main Tōkyō water pipe. At its peak is a hokora, dated 1831, and the oldest stone engraving on the mound carries the date 1824.

(Click on images to expand them)

氷川神社 (大川町)   Hikawa Jinja (Ōkawa-chō)
千住川田浅間神社富士塚 Senju Kawada Sengen Jinja Fujizuka
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