Enoshima Shrine

On Enoshima there is a pilgrimage route that leads you through three shrines in turn. Enoshima Shrine is the collective name of Hetsumiya, Nakatsumiya and Okutsumiya, which enshrine the three Munakata goddesses, together called "Enoshima Okami". It is counted among Japan's three great Benzaiten shrines, and until the Edo period it enshrined the deity Benzaiten and was known as "Enoshima Benten" or "Enoshima Myojin".

According to the shrine's tradition, it began in the 13th year of Emperor Kinmei (552) when a shrine was built in a cave on the south side of the island, although this date is open to doubt. The "Azuma Kagami" records that in 1182 the priest Mongaku invoked Benzaiten here on the orders of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and some regard this as the founding. In the age of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism it was called "Kinkizan Yogan-ji" and drew the devotion of the shoguns and regents of the Kamakura shogunate. In the Edo period Benzaiten worship flourished, and many ordinary people came to pray. The anti-Buddhist movement of 1868 destroyed Buddhist structures such as the three-storied pagoda, and in 1873 (Meiji 6) the site became a Shinto shrine renamed Enoshima Shrine.

Hetsumiya is said to have been founded by Minamoto no Sanetomo in 1206, and the present gongen-style building dates from a reconstruction in 1675. In the Hoanden hall on the grounds are enshrined the eight-armed Benzaiten and the Myoon Benzaiten. Before praying you can pass through the ring of reeds, and visit the dragon coin-washing spot and the "Musubi no Ki" tree. Nakatsumiya, further up the island, is said to have been founded in 853, and its vermilion building, rebuilt in 1689, is striking. The coffered ceiling has paintings of flowers and birds and carvings, and the "water fortune slips", whose writing appears when dipped in water, are popular.

Okutsumiya, deep on the island, is the former main shrine, and its building dates from a reconstruction in 1842. On the ceiling of the worship hall is the "Eight-Direction Glaring Turtle" painted by Sakai Hoitsu, said to glare at you from whichever angle you look. A stone torii said to have been dedicated by Minamoto no Yoritomo also remains. The Zuishinmon is a gate in the dragon-palace style, modeled on the Dragon Palace.

Among annual events, the Hatsumi Festival (the main annual festival) on the first Day of the Snake in April and the Yasaka Shrine festival on the Sunday nearest 14 July are well known, and at the latter the portable shrine is carried into the sea.

If you only visit the three shrines in order, allow around two hours on foot. From Hetsumiya to Nakatsumiya you can also use the up-only "Enoshima Escar". The island also has auxiliary shrines such as Yasaka Shrine and Watatsumi-no-miya (Ryugu), so you can enjoy the whole island in a half day to a full day.