Kanasana Shrine
Second shrine of old Musashi Province — a sanctuary with no main hall, where the mountain itself is worshipped.
History and Divine Virtue
A shrine of the ancient Engishiki register (ranked myojin taisha), regarded as the ninomiya — second shrine — of old Musashi Province. According to shrine tradition, Yamato Takeru, returning from his eastern campaign, enshrined Amaterasu Omikami and Susanoo no Mikoto on Mount Mimuro, using as the sacred embodiment a fire-striking steel he had received from Yamatohime no Mikoto at Ise; Yamato Takeru himself was later enshrined alongside them. The shrine's most striking feature is that it has no main hall: Mount Mimuro, rising behind the worship hall, is itself the shrine's sacred body, worshipped directly — preserving to this day the ancient form of ritual in which the mountain is the deity. Only a handful of shrines in Japan retain this form, among them Omiwa Shrine in Nara and Suwa Taisha in Nagano. The tahoto pagoda on the approach, erected in 1534, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. On the slopes of Mount Mitake beyond the grounds lies the Kagami-iwa (Mirror Rock), a Special Natural Monument of Japan; together with the shrine forest, it preserves a vivid air of primeval worship.
Visiting Notes
- There is no main hall behind the worship hall — the mountain itself is worshipped. Knowing the meaning of this form deepens the visit.
- The tahoto pagoda on the approach, an Important Cultural Property from the Muromachi period, glows vermilion against the cedar grove.
- A path beside the worship hall climbs Mount Mitake to the Mirror Rock, a Special Natural Monument — a light hike of about 40 minutes round trip.
Deities and Location
- Enshrined Deities
- Amaterasu Ōmikami, Susanoo no Mikoto, Yamato Takeru no Mikoto
- Location
- 埼玉県児玉郡神川町二ノ宮 (Saitama)
- Access
- About 10 minutes by taxi from Tansho Station (JR Hachiko Line), or about 20 minutes by car from the Honjo-Kodama Interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway
- Lineage
- Moto-Ise & Mythology
Visiting hours, goshuin (shrine stamps), and festival dates change; please confirm the latest information through each shrine's official announcements. If you find an error in this entry, we would be grateful if you let us know.
