Himonya Itsukushima-jinja Shrine — Attraction in Tokyo

Itsukushima Shrine: Tokyo, Meguro-ku Although surrounded by trees and many other plants this shrine is not in a “preserved forest” area but sits on a small island in a lake, known as Himonya Lake or Benten Lake, in the midst of Himonya Park. It is said to have been founded in the Warring States Period (1467-1615), when the lake was used for rice cultivation and irrigation water for what was then Himonya Village. The Kami of the shrine, Ichikishima-hime, was worshipped as the god of water and fire. During the 250 years of the Edo Period the shrine supported by the Kamiya clan, direct retainers of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In September 1848, Kamiya Masatsune, the tenth leader of the clan, donated a carving of Benzaiten to the shrine. It was placed in the main hall. In 2004 the shrine was destroyed by fire but the Benzaiten carving seems to have survived and is thought to have been moved to the nearby Himonya Hachiman-Gu; its actual location remains something of a mystery. Note that Ichikishima-hime and Benzaiten are often conflated, and that both are Godesses of water. There is also some question about the legal status of the shrine. Himonya Park is administered by Meguro-ku, and as the latter is an arm of the state it is thought that the shrine’s location there may run foul of the Japanese Constitution’s separation of religious bodies...

Small park with central pond and small shrine on island. Can’t get very close to water and looks like boat rides are offered in nicer weather. If close worth a stop, but not worth a...

A small, quaint shrine in the middle of a lake of the park with koi and ducks. Everything was so peaceful and you be at zen while...