Mishima Ōkami (三島大神)

Torii of Mishima Okami (三島大神)

Shrine building (left) and belfry (right)

Mishima Okami (三島大神) is a Shinto shrine in the Hagisono District of Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture.  The founding date of the shrine remains unclear, but it is said it was founded during the Kamakura period.  The kami currently enshrined are Oyama-tsumi-no-mikoto (大山祇命), Homudawake-no-mikoto (誉田別命), and Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真).  The shrine is currently a kenmusha of Tsurumine Hachimangu.

There are several stone monuments on the premises, including the Robun Monument, which is inscribed with a poem by Kanagaki Robun, a writer and journalist from the late Edo to early Meiji period.

Robun Monument

Minamoto no Tametomo Zu (源為朝図)

Minamoto no Tametomo Zu (源為朝図)

The Minamoto no Tametomo Zu, drawn by Tosensai Keizan (東川斎桂山), is a large ema preserved inside the shrine's haiden.  It was donated to the shrine in Tenpo 7 (1836) and depicts a scene from the Tale of Hogen, when Tametomo went to Onigashima.  While there are no direct records explaining the reason for this ema's donation, Tametomo was often associated with warding off diseases like smallpox, suggesting it may have served as a talisman against evil, especially given the instability of the Tenpo era, marked by famine and flooding.

This ema is an important artifact that provides insights into the everyday culture of common people in Chigasaki during the late Edo period and was designated as an Important Cultural Property by Chigasaki in 2021.  The drawing will be open to the public only on January 1 and 2, as well as during the Hamaori Festival held on Marine Day.