Continue Your Pilgrimage
Next Shrines to Visit · 次に巡る一の宮
| Founded | 660 BCE (trad. founding of Japan) |
|---|---|
| Main Deities | 武甕槌大神 |
| Rank | Ichinomiya of Hitachi Province |
| Annual Festival | Sep 1 (Reisai) |
| Goshuin Fee | ¥ 500 |
Kashima Jingu.
At the eastern edge of the Kanto plain, where the morning sun first reaches the great forest, this shrine has stood for nearly two thousand seven hundred years.
It is one of the oldest in eastern Japan.
In ancient times, when the imperial court sent armies to pacify the wild northeast, soldiers would stop here first. They came not to ask for victory, but for stillness — for the calm of mind that lets a person stand straight in the midst of chaos.
Deep in the forest behind the shrine, half-buried in moss and earth, sits a mysterious stone. It is called the Pivot Stone. Local belief holds that beneath the islands of Japan lives an enormous catfish whose movements cause earthquakes. This stone, it is said, holds the catfish still.
When you walk into this forest, the sound of the modern world disappears suddenly. Cedars rise around you, hundreds of years old. The air becomes denser, slower.
Place your hand on one of the great trees. Close your eyes for a moment.
Something steady passes from the ground, through your feet, into your spine.
The shrine teaches the same thing it has taught for two thousand years — not how to win, but how to stand still while the world shakes.
| Hatsuhoryo (fee) | ¥ 500 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 9:00 – 16:30 |
| Style | Hand-written (jikagaki) |
| Limited Editions | Okumiya separate seal + seasonal editions |
| Notes | Typically collect both Hongu and Okumiya seals |
Plan the visit end-to-end — hotels, transport, tours, and a goshuin book.
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