Continue Your Pilgrimage
Next Shrines to Visit · 次に巡る一の宮
| Founded | 87 BCE (trad. 10th yr of Emperor Sujin) |
|---|---|
| Main Deities | 八意思兼命 / 知知夫彦命 |
| Rank | Ichinomiya of Musashi Province |
| Annual Festival | Dec 3 (Chichibu Yomatsuri) |
| Goshuin Fee | ¥ 500 |
Chichibu Jinja.
In the mountain valley of Chichibu, two hours west of Tokyo, stands a shrine that has been quietly hosting one of Japan's most beautiful festivals for over three hundred years.
The Chichibu Yomatsuri — the Night Festival — happens on the second and third of December each year. After dark, six enormous wooden floats, hand-pulled by hundreds of local people, climb the snow-cold streets of the small mountain town. Each float is hung with hundreds of paper lanterns. Fireworks explode overhead.
The temperature is below zero. Breath comes out as steam. The pulling of the floats requires straining muscles, slipping on ice. The festival lasts deep into the night.
It is one of UNESCO's recognized intangible cultural heritages. It is also, simply, a miracle of cold and light.
The carvings on the main shrine itself are by a master named Hidari Jingoro, who lived in the early 1600s. Look carefully at the wood. There is a tiger nursing its young. A dragon. Three small monkeys.
The monkeys are the famous "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" set — but here in Chichibu, they are doing the opposite. Looking, speaking, listening. The carvings teach: see clearly, speak truthfully, listen carefully.
A more interesting message, perhaps, than the silent version.
Stand under the carvings. Look up. The wood has been weathered by three hundred winters.
| Hatsuhoryo (fee) | ¥ 500 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 9:00 – 16:30 |
| Style | Hand-written (jikagaki) |
| Limited Editions | Chichibu Night Festival edition (Dec 3) |
| Notes | Seal includes ancient province name Chichibu-no-Kuni |
Plan the visit end-to-end — hotels, transport, tours, and a goshuin book.
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