Mishima Taisha

Mishima Taisha is an important jinja in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, on the old Tōkaidō, the main road between eastern and western Japan. The origins and myths of its kami are complex and a little obscure, but it became closely associated with samurai and the shogunates from the later twelfth century, and was the Ichinomiya of Izu Province. This essay describes the contemporary precincts and distinctive matsuri, and gives a brief account of what is known of its history.

Torii image © Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.