Kanazawa Shrine, Shinto shrine in Kanazawa, Japan

Kanazawa Shrine stands beside Kenrokuen, its vermilion-painted worship hall fronted by a steep grey-tiled gable with a spiked ridge finial. A twisted straw rope with white zigzag paper streamers hangs beneath the gable, above a dark entrance recess reached by short stone steps with red railings. A grey stone lantern stands to the left of the paved forecourt.

Founded in 1794 by Maeda Harunaga, the 11th lord of Kaga, as the tutelary shrine of the domain school Meirindō, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane. When the school moved during the creation of Kenrokuen, the shrine stayed and became the guardian of Takezawa Palace. It was renamed Kanazawa Shrine in 1876, and its main hall and worship hall were registered as Tangible Cultural Properties in 2004.

Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of learning, is the main kami, and the shrine also honours the white snake dragon god, Kotohira Okami, and Shiraashi Inari. Before the Meiji era, townspeople could enter only on the festival days of 25 April and 25 September; free worship began with the garden's public opening in 1874. Examine the ridge finial and the twisted straw rope with white zigzag streamers above the entrance.

The shrine stands next to Kenrokuen Garden, so it can be combined with a garden visit; the approach is short stone steps up to the worship hall. The grounds are compact and mostly paved, with a stone lantern and a low stone base in front of the vermilion building.

The shrine grounds hold Kinjō Reitaku, a spring that gave the city its name: "Kanazawa" is said to derive from the legend of a farmer who washed gold dust from potatoes in its water. The pond lies within the precinct beside the main hall.