i was on my usual nightwalk that night in search for gold. you can read about that walk in the link below.
| in search for gold on tokyo streets : January 29 2025 |
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i was in search for "gold" but what i found was something more.
koami shrine (小網神社)
initially read about this shrine from @go-kyo and got really interested in the idea of visiting a new place in japan. and the location was quite perfect for my nightwalk, google maps said that it was reachable on foot in around an hour and 30 minutes. that is totally up my alley, totally doable so off i went southward to the nihonbashi area.
enjoyed my journey on the way to this shrine so i was caught by surprise when i reached the place. i usually take lots of pictures during my nightwalks and this structure on the side with lanterns was the first that came to view. i moved to find a different angle and low and behold it was the kagura hall (a building in the shrine where the sacred dance, kagura, and music is performed and offered to the gods) of the shrine i targeted. it was but a small shrine, but it had a constant flow of people visiting even in the deep night; i reached the area around 9 pm. that was foretelling of how revered this shrine must have been.
quick history
a quick read of their website suggested that the actual founding date of the shrine was unknown but must have been 1000 years ago based on a prominent monk vital in its formation. the current shrine building and kagura hall were built in 1929 after the original was destroyed in the great kanto earthquake of 1926. it was said that the chief priest evacuated and brought the shrine's sacred objects with him to the nearby bridge, everyone in the evacuation site felt safe and the bridge itself did not collapse.
in the great tokyo air raid of 1945 during the second world war, the downtown area of tokyo had unprecedented damage, but the koami shrine and all buildings in its grounds miraculously escaped the war damages. it is the only pre-war shrine building still standing in the nihonbashi area and is registered as cultural properties of this area. with this history, the shrine is revered for good fortune and protection from misfortunes.
the main shrine features prominent wood carvings. on the right side, slightly seen in the picture above, is a carving of the ancient legend of yoro falls where a faithful son's thoughts turned the waterfall's water into sake to offer to his father.
above the side panels near the ceiling were dragon carvings, one on each side, which were believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. i only managed to take pictures of the front part of the main shrine though.
money washing
on the left side of the main shrine was this figure of Benzaiten 弁財天 riding a boat. on my previous research, this god is part of the seven lucky gods of fortune.
Benzaiten 弁財天
The God of Good Results in Learning and Fortune. The only female among the group, is also the goddess of music and charm.
every year on the 28th of october, a festival is held for this specific statue and that alone gathers a big crowd.
immediately below the statue is a fountain or a well, this was not for drinking nor washing of hands, but this was specifically for washing money. you take out your money, put it inside this small basket, dip it in the water, and put it inside your wallet. this money is believed to bring you good fortune.
i was just standing there observing how the people did the money washing. i wanted to take some pictures but definitely do not want to bother the others. since i was already there, then might as well do some washing myself. the humble 100 yen coin got purified. one thing was for sure, that water was cold.
i took this final photo of the shrine that night. i failed my initial goal of finding "gold", but that is fine. i may have found no "gold", but i found good fortune for the whole year. and that is even better!
you can read more about this shrine from their site as follows:
Koami Shrine 小網神社
16-23 Koamicho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
https://www.koamijinja.or.jp/index.html
as always, AMPING KANUNAY!
all content is by yours truly unless otherwise specified
all photos are taken with a galaxy s23 ultra