Nigitsu Shrine

Nigitsu Shrine is a shrine in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is a type of shrine that became popular from the Edo period through the Meiji era, enshrining the founding lord of a domain. Locals affectionately call it "Nigitsu-san." Due to atomic bomb damage, stone structures and more than a dozen pine trees remained, and it was rebuilt after the war. All reconstruction was completed in 2005. It enshrines deities for the protection of Geishu, and for both literary and martial excellence. It is also associated with Ebisu-ten in the Futabayama Foothills Seven Lucky Gods Pilgrimage. The Futabayama Foothills Seven Lucky Gods Pilgrimage can be completed in about two hours, making it popular with tourists. It has also become popular with young people seeking goshuin stamps. The shrine is famous for its Old Sacred Amulets Burning Ceremony (Tondo Festival), where the deities welcomed at New Year are sent off, and old talismans, amulets, New Year decorations, shimenawa ropes, and more are ritually burned. The smoke from the burning is said to have the power to purify and ward off various misfortunes for the year, and many people gather bringing their household charms and shimenawa to seek blessings. To get to Nigitsu Shrine, it is a 15-minute walk from the Shinkansen Exit of JR Hiroshima Station.