Tsuki Shrine, Shinto shrine in Kishichō, Japan

Tsuki Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Kishichō, Urawa-ku, Saitama. Its main hall, rebuilt in 1858, combines the worship hall and inner sanctuary in the gongen-zukuri style under a pale green metal roof with upturned eaves. A low white fence and stone steps lead to an offering box with a gold emblem, flanked by lanterns and zigzag paper streamers.

According to the shrine's 1668 origin record, it was founded as an offering shrine in the reign of Emperor Kaika, and Empress Jingu's daughter Yamatohime-no-mikoto established a storehouse here for tribute rice from the Kanto region. A 771 imperial offering by Fujiwara no Ason Tsunenori became the annual festival. The shrine was listed in the 927 Engishiki and rebuilt in 1337 by Isshiki Noriyuki, then burned in 1590.

The shrine's name, pronounced tsuki, is written with the character for "tribute", but from the Middle Ages it became linked to the moon (also tsuki) and to moon-waiting rites. The rabbit is the deity's messenger: rabbit statues replace the usual lion-dogs, and the former main hall now serving as the Inari shrine carries many rabbit carvings.

A ten-minute walk from Urawa Station leads through the neighborhood to this sanctuary, which sits in a residential area and is surrounded by other historical sites in Kishichō. The entrance is accessible from street level, and the courtyard opens to a quiet space away from the main roads.

The shrine has no torii gate, one of its seven wonders: legend says the goddess Yamatohime-no-mikoto had the gate and shrine gate removed so tribute deliveries would not be blocked. The shrine's name, read tsuki, also links it to moon-waiting worship, and rabbit statues replace the usual lion-dogs.