Sumidagawa Shrine, Shinto shrine in Tsutsumi-Dori, Tokyo, Japan
Sumidagawa Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Tsutsumi-Dōri district of Sumida, Tokyo, surrounded by Higashi-Shirahige Park. It enshrines Hayakitsuhiko-no-Kami, Hayakitsuhime-no-Kami, Torinoshikumabune-no-Kami and Ōkabikido-hime-no-Kami. On the grounds stand a stone signpost inscribed by the late-Edo writer Santō Kyōzan and a poem monument by the kyōka poet Shikatobe Magao.
Tradition credits Minamoto no Yoritomo with founding the shrine, though its actual origin is unknown. It was long called Ukishima Jinja, also Suijin Jinja or Suijin-gu, and was renamed Sumidagawa Shrine in 1872. It served as guardian of the Sumida River area, drawing worship from boatmen, shipping operators and river workers.
The shrine was long known as Ukishima Shrine and also called Suijin-san, and it drew worshippers who worked on the river, from boatmen and shipping operators to innkeepers. Its name comes from the water deities honoured here, which also attracted people in the water trade.
The shrine is within walking distance of both Kanegafuchi and Honjo Azumabashi stations. A short walk east from either one leads directly to the entrance torii gate.
The shrine grounds hold a stone marker inscribed by the late-Edo gesaku author Santō Kyōzan, and a poem monument by the kyōka poet Kado no Kuchibeni Magao. Both stand as traces of the writers who frequented this stretch of the Sumida River.
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