Kasama Inari Jinja

Kasama Inari Shrine is counted among Japan’s three great Inari shrines, together with Fushimi Inari Taisha (Kyoto) and Yutoku Inari Shrine (Saga). Founded in 651, it has over 1,360 years of history and attracts about 3.5 million worshippers annually. The enshrined deity is Ukanomitama-no-Kami, revered as a god of industry and prosperity, rebirth, and protection from fire. The main hall is said to have been rebuilt around 1850 and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. You can also see exquisitely crafted carvings such as Goto Nuinosuke’s “”Three-Headed Dragon Looking in Eight Directions”” and “”Peony and Chinese Lion,”” as well as works like “”Rantei Kyokusui no Zu”” by Mirekiji Otohachi and Moronuki Mangoro. On the grounds are two large wisteria trees, “”Yae-no-Fuji”” and “”O-Fuji,”” designated as natural monuments; around Golden Week they typically bloom beautifully. Access is about a 20-minute walk (or about 5 minutes by taxi) from JR Mito Line “”Kasama Station,”” or by bus getting off at “”Kasama Inari Shrine-mae.”