Mitsumine Shrine

History and Divine Virtue

The shrine stands on a mountaintop some 1,100 meters up in the deep mountains of Chichibu. Tradition holds that Yamato Takeru, on his eastern campaign, climbed to this place and enshrined Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto in remembrance of their creation of the Japanese islands. The name Mitsumine — "three peaks" — comes from the beautiful line of Kumotori-yama, Shiraiwa-yama, and Myohogatake. The shrine's divine messengers are the mountain wolves called o-inu-sama, believed to guard households from fire, theft, and other calamities; in the Edo period this messenger cult spread throughout the Kanto region. The shrine's torii is a rare mitsu-torii, three gates joined in one — few exist anywhere in Japan. Many visitors come seeking the ki-mamori, an amulet said to carry the vital energy of the sacred tree. Often wrapped in mist and seas of cloud, the precincts are called one of the great sanctuaries of Kanto — a shrine of new beginnings, where one comes to cast off misfortune and restore body and spirit.

Visiting Notes

• The sacred tree before the worship hall may be touched as part of one's prayer — but worship at the main sanctuary first.
• The approach offers one highlight after another: the triple torii, the zuishinmon gate, and the richly colored worship hall.
• At this altitude the air is colder than in town — in winter, mind the road conditions and dress warmly.

Deities and Location

Enshrined Deities

Izanagi no Mikoto, Izanami no Mikoto

Location

埼玉県秩父市三峰 (Saitama)

Access

From Seibu-Chichibu Station (Seibu Chichibu Line), about 75 minutes by bus to the Mitsumine-jinja stop

Lineage

Purification & Renewal

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.