Kasuga Shrine Nerima, Tokyo, Shinto shrine in Kasugachō, Tokyo, Japan
Kasuga Shrine Nerima consists of a Kasuga-style main hall (honden) and worship hall (haiden), a kagura hall, an ema hall, and a shrine office, plus three subordinate shrines. The honden was rebuilt in 1917, the kagura hall in 1956, and the ema hall in 1965. A Shinmei torii stands on the south side facing the honden, and a large nettle tree (enoki) on the grounds is registered as a Nerima notable tree.
According to the Kamakura-period record in the Hōjōdō-gun Jinja-shi, Kudō Sukemune enshrined the Kasuga Taisha kami here while heading to the Ōshū campaign, though Itō Keiichi doubts this account. During the Bunmei era (1469–1486) the Nerima castle lord Toyoshima Yasutsune venerated the shrine, and after the Toyoshima fell, Ebina Sakon made it part of his residence. From the Middle Ages to the Edo period it was called Jūrasetsunyo-sha, and in the Meiji era the kami was renamed Kasuga Shrine.
Until the Meiji era the shrine was called Jūrasetsunyo-sha, a Buddhist site trusted with protecting children and guarding the neighbourhood; the deity was moved here and the name changed when Buddhism and Shinto were separated. Stone relics from that period, such as chikara-ishi lifting stones, remain in the grounds. The annual festival is held on 15 September.
The shrine is a short walk from Toei Oedo Line Nerima-Kasugacho Station, or about 20 minutes from Seibu Ikebukuro Line Toshimaen Station. The main festival is held on 15 September. The precinct is entered through a Myojin torii facing the hall, and the three subsidiary shrines stand to the right and left of the main hall.
The shrine grounds keep relics from its earlier identity as Jūrasetsunyo Shrine, before the Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism. A chikara-ishi lifting stone and other traces of that period still stand on the grounds. The ema hall was rebuilt in 1965, and votive plaques are dedicated there.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,257 contributors worldwide.