Namiyoke Inari Shrine

Namiyoke Inari Shrine in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, stands at the mouth of the Sumida River and is the tutelary shrine of the Tsukiji landfill district. Its main deity is Ukanomitama no Mikoto, descending from Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto as part of the nationwide Inari cult. Shrine tradition records that during the reclamation of Tsukiji after the Meireki Fire of 1657, work was hindered by repeated storms until an image of Inari drifted ashore and was enshrined here, after which the works were completed in 1659. Through the Edo period and the modern era it was venerated by the Tsukiji fish market community, and remains the protective shrine of the outer market today. The June Tsukiji Lion Festival is the principal annual rite.