Asakusa Shrine

The Asakusa Shrine is located to the right of the main hall of Sensoji Temple. It was integrated with Sensoji Temple until the Edo period, but when the Gods and Buddha separation ordinance was promulgated in the Meiji period, it was separated from Sensoji and renamed Asakusa Shrine. It is often called Sanja-sama or Sanja Gongen and is popular among the public. In the seventh century, two fishermen brothers picked up the statue of the Kannon of Sensoji Temple from Sumida River, and a monk consecrated it. The bodies of these three men are worshiped here as Sanja Gongen. The shrine pavilion was built in the same style as the Nikko Toshogu, in the Gongen-Zukuri style of Shinto architecture.The person who built it was Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. Although it has been 350 years since it was built, It still has relics of what it used to be, as it was spared from fires or earthquakes, and it has been designated as an important cultural property of the country. There was a renovation for repainting, and the bright colors were restored to delight the eyes of visitors. Sanja Matsuri, which is carried out on the third weekend of May for three days, is one of the of the Three Great Festivals of Edo. The festival is well known for the ”soul swing”, where portable shrines are wildly swung around. It is a seven-minute walk from Toei Asakusa Line Asakusa Station.