Izusan Shrine

Izusan Shrine stands on a hill about 170 meters above sea level overlooking Sagami Bay in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture. It was formerly called Soto Daigongen (Soto Gongen) and was also known as the "protector of the eight Kanto provinces." It is regarded as the origin of the Izusan and Soto shrines across Japan, and is considered their de facto head shrine. The four enshrined deities are Homusubi no Mikoto, Ame no Oshihomimi no Mikoto, Takuhata Chijihime no Mikoto and Ninigi no Mikoto.

It is said that Minamoto no Yoritomo, exiled to Izu, prayed here for the revival of the Minamoto clan, and he held the shrine in deep reverence. You can still actually sit on the "Koshikake-ishi," the stone where Yoritomo and Hojo Masako are said to have talked together. The nagi tree at the entrance to the main hall is regarded as a sacred tree, and a tale is told that Masako prayed that her bond with Yoritomo would never be broken.

Shrine tradition dates its founding to the reign of Emperor Kosho; it stood first on Mt. Higane and then on Mt. Hongu before moving to its present site in 836 (Jowa 3). In the medieval period, pilgrims visited it together with Hakone Gongen in the "Nisho-mode." In the Sengoku period it was revered by the Hojo clan, but it burned down in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Odawara campaign and was rebuilt in the Edo period. The Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism separated it from its Buddhist temple, Hannya-in. In 1914 the future Showa Emperor, then Crown Prince, visited and planted a black pine, and in 1928 the shrine was ranked as a national small shrine.

There are many things to see in the grounds. The water pavilion has two dragons, one red and one white; red governs fire and white governs water, and together they are said to produce the hot spring. The carvings on the worship hall are the work of Takeshi Ihachiro Nobuyoshi, a temple-and-shrine carver of the Edo period. Partway down the steps from the main hall is Yui Myojin Shrine, dedicated to the god of matchmaking. The "Hikari-ishi" (Light Stone), where the gods are said to descend, can be touched and sat on. Colored carp swim in the sacred pond near the main hall, there is a heart-shaped omikuji rack at the torii gate, and you can also tie your fortune at "Kokoromusubi." From the grounds you can see Hatsushima and Izu Oshima, and the Atami City Izusan Local History Museum is also on the site.

About 800 stone steps lead from the foot of the hill to the main hall, and it is 189 steps from the lower parking lot. From the main hall to the Hongu shrine is a mountain path of about one hour. Down by the coast, past a flight of steps toward the sea, is Hashiri-yu, which has deep ties to the shrine. The hot spring wells up from the back of a cave about 5 meters deep, and its waters are said to cure illness and give long life, and have been venerated since ancient times.

The annual festival is held from April 14 to 16, and the Setsubun festival on February 3. On the night of the mid-autumn moon, a poetry gathering is held in memory of Minamoto no Sanetomo. You can reach the shrine from JR Atami Station by Tokai Bus to "Izusan Jinja-mae," or by car. There are two free parking lots, an upper lot near the grounds (about 30 cars) and a lower lot (8 cars).