Iwahashi-jinja, Shinto shrine in Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
Iwahashi-jinja is a small Shinto shrine near Lake Inawashiro featuring simple wooden structures set among trees and a peaceful forest setting. The building displays a low curved roof, modest bright decorations, stone lanterns, and is framed by several mature trees.
According to tradition, Takeuchi no Sukune enshrined the deities on the summit of Mount Iwahashi during the reign of Emperor Ōjin; under Emperor Shōmu the shrine was moved to its present site. It held the rank of prefectural shrine and was considered the leading shrine of the district. On 4 September 1908, Prince Arisugawa Takehito and Princess Mieko visited and planted a pine and a cherry tree.
The name comes from Mount Bandai's old name, Iwahashi-yama, recalling worship of the mountain itself as a deity. In the grounds stands the Oshika-zakura, one of the Five Cherry Trees of Aizu, said to have been transplanted from Kyoto when Emperor Murakami's envoy came to worship. Tsuchitsu Shrine is counted as a subordinate shrine.
The shrine stands at the foot of Mount Bandai, in the Inawashiro area; the grounds hold the Ōshika cherry tree, one of the Aizu Five Cherry Trees, transplanted from Kyoto by imperial order in the Murakami Emperor's time. The main hall was moved to this site in the Nara period under Emperor Shōmu, after the deities were first worshipped on the summit of Mount Iwahashi under Emperor Ōjin. Allow time to look at the trees planted by Prince Arisugawa Takehito and Princess Mieko on 4 September 1908.
The shrine attracts many visitors during cherry blossom season when trees surrounding it bloom in soft pink and white. This seasonal transformation makes each visit feel different throughout the year.
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