History

While the date of this Inari Jinja`s foundation is unclear it was in existence in the Kōhei Period (1058-1065): prior to that it was known as Kishi Inari (岸稲荷)  in reference to its location on the bank of the River Arakawa (“Kishi” means bank or coast). The shrine was sufficiently revered for Minamoto Yoriyoshi to declare it the leading Inari Jinja in Kantō. At that time Kantō included areas as far as east (or north) as Mutsu Province and was referred to as the Thirty-three Eastern Provinces (東国三十三国).

In 1180 Minamoto Yoritomo dedicated set(s) of chest armour, long sword(s) and other items to the shrine. The late Hōjō clan favoured the shrine on their accession to regional power. On its part the Tokugawa Bakufu designated both this shrine and the nearby Ōji Jinja as official prayer halls for the family.  In 1634 and again in 1703 they financed shrine renovations. In 1822 the 11th Shōgun, Ienari, had a prayer hall built. This still exists, but the main hall was burnt down in the fire bombing of April 13, 1945 and rebuilt in 1960.