History

There are two theories about the origin of this shrine. The first dates it to 1626 as a replication (分祀) of the Edo Yushima Tenjin (江戸湯島天神). The second is chronologically less precise. Until early modern times the village headmen of the area where the shrine is now, and was then, located, Nakamuneoka, came from a branch of the Kinoshita clan, and it is said that their ancestor, Yamagichi Daizen, whose dates I have not been able to trace, conducted a ceremonial transfer of the deity from the Kitano Ten Jinja in Yamaguchi, the present Tokorozawa, when he moved into the Nakamuneoka area.

In 1872 the shrine was given the rank of village shrine, and in 1928 the main hall was rebuilt. In 1962 the prayer hall and the offerings hall were renovated, and in 1971 the shrine office was rebuilt.

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Description

To walk from Shiki Station takes about 20 minutes but there is an excellent bus service with a stop almost directly in front of the shrine.  I walked to this shrine from Shikishima Jinja, the two are about 700 metres apart, and more than half of the walk is through a park along the banks of the Shingashi River. Scenically there is not a lot to be said for this Ten Jinja, but for history buffs there is a lot of information to unearth from the various memorials and engravings around the shrine's grounds. Combining visits to the two shrines makes for a pleasant half day.