Shibue Shirahige Shrine 4–36–18 Higashi-Yotsugi, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo The god seems to be standing in the center of the city where many people live. It has an interesting history that in the Edo period, many people in occupations who wanted many customers to come to the shrine worshipped here. The shrine has an interesting history. The god connects people with each other and brings them happiness.

Hara Inari Shrine 4–39–8 Higashi-Tateishi, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo A neat and clean shrine stood at the end of an alley that I proceeded down, wondering where it would lead me. I was also surprised to see so many people passing through the shrine grounds on their way to the station. It is a relaxing sight to see some people putting their hands together. It is unusual for a shrine to have a known origin, but it is also strange that it somehow took five months to make the round trip to Kyoto and back, and that they went to the trouble of writing about it as a record.

Tateishi Suwa Shrine 8–2–6 Tateishi, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo A train passing by can be seen from the shrine grounds. It is a place where you may have once stood peacefully in the woods and rice paddies. The name of the shrine is thought to have been recommended by someone from Suwa, but we do not know the details. It is a shrine that has been protecting people as the town center of this area for a long time.

Gokouzan Kumano Shrine 8–44–31 Tateishi, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo A shrine with the origin of the Yin-Yang Master, Abe Seimei, whom we could meet in Tokyo. This sanctuary has a different atmosphere from the Seimei Shrine in Kyoto. This shrine is pentagonal in shape. It is exciting to think that Seimei might have performed some ritual at its five vertices. Since we visited early in the morning, the priests were in the middle of purifying the shrine with brooms. Thank God for that!

Fukumori Inari Shrine 1–11–8 Aoto, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo A shrine standing right next to the Nakagawa River. The Nakagawa River, now calm, was once a river that repeatedly meandered and brought floods. Being located near the river, perhaps people prayed for the river to remain calm, and a small small shrine of Suijinmiya still remains. The precincts of the shrine are a descending shrine. It may be that the river boundary was raised in place of a levee in ancient times.

Nakahara Hachiman Shrine 2–2–2 Aoto, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo The shrine stands in a bustling location just outside Aoto Station. Once you enter the shrine grounds, you will hear the sound of insects and the atmosphere will change to a remote one that you would not expect to find in a busy downtown area. The shrine treasure here is an ema (votive picture tablet) depicting a prayer for the eradication of a plague. They leave us with a picture of Japanese people who have been desperately trying to survive.

Tanaka Inari Daimyojin 3–21–33 Shimotakaido, Suginami-ku, Tokyo Standing in a gap in a residential area, this sanctuary is located at the end of a narrow alley that one might easily pass by. For some reason, the torii gate is low enough to be entered by bending down. Is it because of the danger of earthquakes, or is it because the torii gates of the Edo period were built at such a low height? Since many of those remaining today are low, was it made the same height as the torii gates of old?

Shimotakaido Hachiman Shrine 4–39–3 Shimotakaido, Suginami-ku, Tokyo I had completely forgotten that I had made a donation, so now, several years later I was very happy to receive a thank-you gift from the shrine. The sanctuary stands in a quiet residential area in Suginami Ward. What surprised me was the number of people visiting in the morning. The video doesn’t show it, but one by one, one by one, local people were visiting the shrine one after another.

Shogitai. Ana Inari. Hanazono Inari Shrine. 4, Ueno Koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo. This shrine marks the end of Edo’s sad history. The Battle of Ana Inari.” It seems that the Shogitai’s battle was not only in Ueno, but actually covered a wide area. This Ana Inari is a sanctuary that is entered through a door. When you enter, the lights are on and the atmosphere is bright and refreshing. Some people seem to visit the shrine every day.