Kashima Jingu
First shrine of old Hitachi Province, enshrining Takemikazuchi — the shrine of "kashima-dachi," the setting forth on a journey.
History and Divine Virtue
The ichinomiya of old Hitachi Province and head shrine of the roughly 600 Kashima shrines across Japan — the foremost ancient shrine of eastern Japan, traditionally founded in the first year of Emperor Jimmu's reign. Its deity, Takemikazuchi no Okami, is the warrior god who, in the myth of the transfer of the land, negotiated with Okuninushi to pacify the country and later aided Emperor Jimmu's eastern campaign; he has been revered since antiquity by court and warrior houses as a deity of the martial way, decision, and victory. With Katori Jingu and Ikisu Shrine, it forms the Three Shrines of the East. The kaname-ishi within the grounds is a sacred stone said to reach deep into the earth and pin down the head of the giant catfish that stirs earthquakes. The sacred deer are held to be the deity's messengers — tradition tells that when the deity's divided spirit was carried to Kasuga Taisha in Nara, a Kashima deer bore it on its back. The phrase kashima-dachi, meaning to set out on a journey, also derives from this shrine, and many come before life's departures and new challenges — a shrine filled with the energy of beginnings.
Visiting Notes
- Pass through the tower gate to the inner approach — lined with giant cedars, it is among the most solemn woods in Kanto, leading to the inner sanctuary and the kaname-ishi.
- Sacred deer are kept in the deer park within the grounds, living witnesses to the shrine's bond with Kasuga Taisha.
- The Mitarashi Pond is a spring said to yield more than 400,000 liters a day, famed for the clarity of its water.
Deities and Location
- Enshrined Deities
- Takemikazuchi no Ōkami
- Location
- 茨城県鹿嶋市宮中 (Ibaraki)
- Access
- About 10 minutes on foot from Kashima-Jingu Station (JR Kashima Line)
- Lineage
- Career & Victory, 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.
