Akasaka Hikawa Shrine

Akasaka Hikawa Shrine (赤坂氷川神社) stands on a hilltop in the Akasaka district of Minato Ward, Tokyo, surrounded by modern urban development. One of the seven principal Hikawa shrines associated with the Edo period, it was relocated to its present location in 1730 by order of Tokugawa Yoshimune. The shrine precincts are dominated by an ancient ginkgo tree, over four hundred years old and designated a natural monument by Minato Ward.

The main hall, sanctuary hall, and worship hall survive as an exceptionally rare example of early modern shrine architecture in Tokyo, built in the *gongen* style and reflecting the property divisions of the Edo period. These structures, along with the gate tower, are designated tangible cultural properties of Minato Ward.

The principal enshrined kami (shusaijin) are three deities: Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Kushinada-Hime-no-Mikoto, and Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto. According to the *Kojiki* (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE), Susanoo-no-Mikoto took Kushinada-Hime as his consort in Izumo (modern Shimane Prefecture), and their descendant Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto emerged; this genealogy reflects the ritual structure inherited from the Musashi Province Hikawa Shrine system.

The founding tradition records creation in 951 CE, with the kami invited from the Hikawa Shrine in Saitama (the primary shrine of Musashi Province). After the founding of Edo, Akasaka Hikawa became the tutelary shrine of the district and gained the devotion of local townspeople. In 1873, it was elevated to the rank of township shrine, later to prefectural shrine.

The autumn festival (*matsuri*) held on the weekend nearest 15 September, known as the Akasaka Hikawa Festival, carries forward the processional tradition of floats and portable shrines from the Edo period and is designated an intangible folk cultural property of Minato Ward. The festival is particularly noted for the unveiling of ornate float figures, works of the Edo period ranking with important cultural properties.