Kanda Shrine

The establishment of Kanda Myojin dates back to 730, in the current Otemachi of Chiyoda-ku. It was relocated to its current location, omote kimon (northeast) of the Edo Castle, and played an important part as the so-chinju (general Shinto deity of an area) of Edo (present Tokyo). Its formal name is Kanda-jinja (Kanda Shrine), but the name of Kanda Myojin has been more familiar to people to this day. At present, the shrine is the universal tutelary god for the association of 108 towns, including Akihabara, the world famous sightseeing site; Otemachi and Marunouchi, the central business areas; as well as Kanda and Nihonbashi, the central areas in the Edo period. It is crowded with visitors from many companies wishing for the prosperity of the company and their businesses. Taira no Masakado, a rebellion leader of the Heian period (794 to 1185) was designated one of the main gods; he is well known as a god of victory for having subjugated the Kanto region. Also, Daikoku-sama, the god for family happiness and matchmaking, is enshrined, and they are often visited by people. After you visit the beautiful vermilion-lacquered shrine, taking a walk around small shrines located behind Kanda Myojin is recommendable. There are plenty of things to see, such as statues of Daikoku-sama and Ebisu-sama (the god of fishery), the monument of Heiji Zenigata, the main character of a historical novel, and chikara-ishi, a stone that young people in the Edo period used for physical strength competitions. It is a five-minute walk from the Hijiri-bashi Exit of the Ochanomizu Station on the JR lines and a seven-minute walk from the Denki-gai Exit of the Akihabara Station on the JR lines.