ABOUT
About this spot
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the shore of Lake Ashi in Motohakone, Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was once called Hakone Gongen. The enshrined deities are Ninigi-no-Mikoto, Konohanasakuya-hime and Hoori-no-Mikoto, collectively known as Hakone Okami. According to shrine tradition, the priest Mangan restored the shrine in 757 and subdued the nine-headed dragon said to live in Lake Ashi. The site began as a center of mountain worship around Mount Komagatake, and from the Kamakura period it received strong support from the shogunate and samurai families. The shrine burned in 1590 during the Siege of Odawara, and it was rebuilt with the help of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The best-known sight is the Peace Torii, which stands in Lake Ashi. It was built in 1952, and the calligraphy of the word peace on its plaque is by Yoshida Shigeru. Within the grounds are the Kuzuryu Shrine Shingu, built in 2000, and a treasure hall that displays Important Cultural Properties such as the Hakone Gongen engi picture scrolls. Reception for the treasure hall is open from 9:00 to 16:00. The shrine's festivals include the Setsubun festival in February, with a bean-throwing rite and a demon-chasing ritual on the lake, and the main festival on August 1. Allow about one to two hours for the shrine grounds and treasure hall. The upper shrine on Mount Komagatake can be reached on foot from the ropeway summit station, and sights such as Owakudani and the Hakone Open-Air Museum are nearby.
Last updated October 24, 2026