Mishima Taisha

In the middle of Mishima, an old post town on the Tokaido, Mishima Taisha stands within a deep sacred grove as the ichinomiya, or first shrine, of Izu Province. It enshrines two deities: Oyamatsumi no Mikoto, a guardian of mountains and agriculture, and Tsumihayaekotoshironushi no Kami, known affectionately as Ebisu and revered as a god of good fortune. Together they are called Mishima Daimyojin. The date of the shrine's founding is unknown. It is said to have grown out of belief in the islands born from volcanic eruptions in Izu and in the sea routes linking the peninsula to those islands, and in the mid-Heian period it was ranked among the Myojin Taisha in the Engishiki.

Its best-known link to history is with Minamoto no Yoritomo. Exiled in Izu, Yoritomo prayed to the god of Mishima for the revival of the Minamoto clan, and once his wish was granted he gave the shrine lands and sacred treasures. An entry in the Azuma Kagami for 1180 is the oldest firm record that the shrine stood on its present site. Warrior houses such as the Kamakura shogunate and the later Hojo clan continued to honor it, and in the Edo period, standing on the Tokaido and at the start of the Shimoda Kaido road to Izu, it became widely known to travelers. The national treasure Ume Makie Tebako, a lacquered box said to have been offered by Yoritomo's wife, Hojo Masako, belongs to the shrine; it is now on deposit at the Tokyo National Museum, and a replica is shown in the shrine's treasure hall.

The present main hall, linking hall and worship hall form a gongen-zukuri complex rebuilt after the Ansei Tokai earthquake and completed in 1866, and they are designated Important Cultural Properties. The sacred gate and the kagura stage, both finished in 1867, are designated cultural properties of Mishima City and are admired for their fine carving by the Ozawa school; the stage also carries carvings on the theme of the Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety. Legend says the shrine's sacred horse climbs Mt. Hakone every morning carrying the god, and a custom survives of praying here for children's growth and strong legs.

In autumn, do not miss the osmanthus tree (usugi-mokusei) in the precincts. A national natural monument, it is estimated to be about 1,200 years old and is famous for blooming fully twice, in early and late September. Small pale-yellow flowers and a sweet fragrance drift inside the sacred gate. The Shinchi pond is recorded in the Azuma Kagami as the place where Yoritomo held a release-of-life ceremony in 1185.

The shrine also has a full calendar of events. Its main festival is on August 16, and the Mishima Summer Festival runs from the 15th to the 17th, with a yabusame mounted-archery rite on the 17th. The Otaue rite on January 7 is a Shizuoka Prefecture intangible folk cultural property. Worship is open at night as well, but the parking lot, shrine office and shops usually operate only from about 8:30 a.m. to about 5 p.m.

To get here, walk about five minutes from Mishima-Tamachi Station on the Izuhakone Railway Sunzu Line, or about ten minutes from JR Mishima Station. By car, use the paid parking; the shrine's own lot is closed from New Year's Eve through the first three days of January and during the summer festival. Allow plenty of time if you want to see the precincts and the treasure hall properly. Nearby, Mishima Skywalk, the Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium and Numazu Port are within reach by car and combine well into a day trip.