Hokkaidō Shrine, Shinto shrine in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Japan
Hokkaidō Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Sapporo situated on wooded grounds beside Maruyama Park. The structures follow traditional Shinmei-zukuri architecture, featuring wooden buildings, formal gates, and a central prayer hall.
The shrine was founded in 1869 to enshrine three deities meant to support Hokkaido's early settlement and development. Emperor Meiji ordered its establishment as a spiritual blessing for the region's growing population and its work to build the land.
The shrine's name changed from Sapporo-jinja to Hokkaidō Shrine in 1964, when Emperor Meiji was added to the three settlement deities. Its main festival runs 14–16 June: on the 16th about a thousand participants carry four phoenix palanquins and nine floats through the streets. Since 1872 the 15th has been a holiday across Hokkaido, and Sapporo schools still close for half a day.
The shrine is a 15-minute walk from Maruyama Koen Station on the Tozai subway line, or one minute from the Jingumae bus stop served by Bankei and JR Hokkaido buses. The main gate faces northeast, toward Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The precinct adjoins Maruyama Park, and the Sapporo Festival runs from 14 to 16 June.
The grounds contain sazare-ishi boulders, which are special rock formations created when small pebbles merge together naturally over time. Some of these stones came from distant places, including specimens from Gifu Prefecture and the Saru River area in Hidaka.
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