Ana Hachimangū, Hachiman shrine in Nishi-Waseda, Japan
Ana Hachimangū is a Shinto shrine near Waseda University in Nishi-Waseda, dedicated to the war deity Hachiman. The grounds include a vermillion entrance gate, several prayer halls and a small wooded hilltop approached by stone steps.
Minamoto no Yoshie founded the shrine in 1062 after a military campaign in the Tōhoku region. The air raids of 1945 destroyed the site completely and it was rebuilt in 1961.
Each October the shrine hosts a Yabusame ritual at Toyama Park, where mounted archers in historical dress shoot at targets from horseback. The event demonstrates an old martial art once practised by samurai that is now performed in only a few places.
Access is through Waseda Station on the Tozai Line of Tokyo Metro, from where the hilltop is a few minutes on foot. The site is best visited during daylight when natural light illuminates the paths and steps.
Workers digging in 1641 discovered a cave containing a gilt bronze statue of Buddha. This find prompted the renaming of the shrine by adding the word ana, which means hole or cave in Japanese.
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