Kume no Heinai-dō, Shinto shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan

Kume no Heinai-dō is a small folk shrine in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo, housing a stone statue of Kume no Heinai, a samurai said to have died in 1683. The statue was retrieved after being buried near the Niōmon gate of Sensō-ji and is now kept inside the shrine. The current shrine was rebuilt in October 1978 after the original was destroyed in March 1945.

Kume Heinai was a 17th-century samurai and sword master who later in life felt remorse for his past actions and turned to Zen Buddhism. Before his death, he asked his followers to carve his face into a stone and bury it near the temple gate so that people could symbolically step on it to help him atone for his deeds.

The shrine connects to local traditions of love letters and romantic blessings, with visitors coming to pray for good relationships and marriage. The story of a former warrior seeking peace has transformed into a symbol for romantic ties, keeping the themes of hope and personal connection alive in the daily visits of those who come here.

The shrine stands in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo, near the Niōmon gate of Sensō-ji, where Kume no Heinai asked to be buried. The building is small, so a short stop suffices; the stone statue is kept inside the shrine rather than outside. The current structure dates from October 1978, after the 1945 destruction.

The statue is no longer underfoot: it was retrieved and is kept inside the shrine. The name preserves the change — originally Fumitsuke (踏みつけ, "to tread on"), it came to be written 文付け, "love letter", same pronunciation, and the shrine is now prayed to for matchmaking.