Mishima Jinja (三嶋神社)

July 20, 2024

Mishima Jinja (三嶋神社)

Mishima Jinja (三嶋神社) in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, is currently celebrating its annual festival, Reitaisai (例大祭).

Mishima Jinja (三嶋神社)

The Shinto shrine is known as "Shonan no Ebisa-sama (湘南のえびす様)," which translates to "Ebisa of the Shonan Area" and is one of the Shonan Hiratsuka Shichifukujin (湘南ひらつか七福神). The kami enshrined are Oyama-zumi-no-mikoto (大山祇命) and Kotoshironushi-okami (事代主大神), identified as Ebisa.

While the exact founding date remains unclear, records indicate that Yakushi Mishima Myojin (薬師三島明神) served as the honjibutsu, enshrined at the shrine, during the Heian period. During the Eiroku era (1558-1570), the area received protection from the Hojo clan of Odawara, establishing it as a hub for fish and coastal shipping distribution. In the Edo period, the area flourished as a port for transporting Sagami Province's agricultural products and materials to Edo and the Boso Peninsula. The shrine became revered not only by locals as the primary guardian shrine of the port town but also by merchants in the fishing and coastal shipping industries, as well as travelers.

First torii of Mishima Jinja

Mishima Benten-sha (三嶋弁天社)

Next to the first torii is the subordinate shrine of Mishima Benten-sha (三嶋弁天社). While Benten shrines or temples are typically built near rivers, ponds, or bodies of water, there were originally two ponds near this shrine that were filled in due to land readjustments after World War II. The surrounding area is now organized as Mishima Children's Park (三島児童公園).

Other subordinate shrines of Mishima Jinja are Izanagi-sha (伊邪那岐社), Yaku Jinja (厄神社), Ishigami-sha (石神社), and the Chukon-hi (忠魂碑), a memorial monument of the war dead.