The Salad Bowl. Vol. IV, No. 10. (Oct. 1996).

Historic Sites in Shizuoka:

Nishinomiya Shrine

Photo: Nishinomiya Shrine (Feb. 1999)
Never underestimate the power of lanterns to transform ordinary scenes into memorable ones. Most of the time, Nishinomiya Shrine is much like the other three hundred or so Shinto shrines in Shizuoka City. For two nights in mid-November, however, it is becomes a place of magic and drama as people drink, chat, purchase knick-knacks, and celebrate its annual festival.

Nishinomiya Shrine was built around 1750 in honor of two gods: Ebisu and Inari. Its main building is about five meters wide and six meters high and dedicated to Ebisu - a deity symbolizing wealth and abundant harvests. Inside the shrine itself are two giant paper lanterns, four small urns, and a portable wooden mikoshi. The iron offertory box inside this shrine is noteworthy. At least a hundred years old, its huge size and massive weight makes it relatively theft-proof.

The Nishinomiya Inari shrine is one-third the size of the Ebisu shrine. Two granite foxes in rusty iron cages "guard" the entrance to this small wooden structure. Within the shrine itself, six porcelain foxes sit before an altar with two lumps of rice-cake. Inari is a deity who originally represented abundant rice crops, but as the agricultural sector of Japanese society has shrunk, this deity increasing came to symbolizes money and wealth.

The Nishinomiya Shrine has three granite torii gates. The oldest, from 1873, is 2.3 meters high. Another, constructed fifty years later, rises to 5.5 meters. Finally, there is yet another small gate dating from 1923.

Within the shrine precincts are three stone lantern foundations. Though the lanterns have long since been destroyed, their foundations remain intact. One of these stones dates from 1808; the dates on the other two are illegible. When I touched the older gate, it began to crumble: age is chipping away at this shrine. Prompted by both acid rain of lichen, many old stones here are reverting to dust.

Just left of the main entrance you will notice three greenish oval-shaped stones with a high jasper content resting on a small granite dais. They resemble dinosaur eggs. The inscriptions on these stones are illegible. With a kryptonite color and strange shape, they are ripe for legend.

The Nishinomiya Shrine is located just 20 meters northwest of the Minato-bashi Bridge, near S-Pulse Avenue in Hon-machi in eastern Shizuoka. It's a ten minute walk south of the former Shimizu City Hall. If you are planning to attend the annual festival here, it is best to arrive around 7:30 PM.

- Tim Newfields

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copyright 1996 by Tim Newfields and the Shizuoka City International Association