A lone Torii Gate stands beside Route 1 in Chigasaki Japan.

I took a long walk down Route 1 back when I lived in Chigasaki, Japan, and on my walk I found a large torii gate standing along the highway, seemingly by itself.  At the time, I thought this was very strange, as torii gates are always associated with Shinto shrines, and yet this gate was surrounded by houses and businesses.  This piqued my curiosity so, on another nice day, I went back to have a look around and found that there is, indeed, an interesting old shrine some distance down the road that runs beneath the large torii gate.  It interested me so much that I had to know more.  How old is this place?  Why is the first gate so far away and standing all by itself with only mundane, modern buildings around it?  To answer these questions, I did some research and published an article on Chigasaki’s Tsurumine Hachimangu Shrine for the city’s English language newspaper, Chigasaki Breeze.  What I learned in the process gave an interesting glimpse into how things were in centuries past in the area where I now live.  As such, I thought it would be interesting to share the article here along with a few extra pictures the newspaper didn’t use.  Enjoy.

Tsurumine Hachimangu Shrine from the path leading to it.

Tsurumine Hachimangu Shrine

On route one about half way between Chigasaki station and the border with Hiratsuka, there is a large tori gate standing seemingly by itself on the side of the highway.  If you follow the road through the gate to its end, though, you’ll find a small shrine.  Most people in the area have likely seen this gate and possibly even visited the shrine.  What many people probably don’t realize, however, is that Tsurumine Hachimangu Shrine predates Chigasaki itself.  In fact, it is one of the oldest places in the area.

The approach to Tsurumine Hachimangu Shrine in Chigasaki, Japan.

Relative to Japan’s long heritage, Chigasaki is a very young city.  It only reached city status in 1947 and until the Meji period, the area we know as Chigasaki now was just a collection of farmland and scattered, small villages.  Hachimangu Shrine, however, is much older.  The shrine was founded in the year 1030 and has been linked through the centuries to both Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine in Kamakura and Samukawa Shrine.  During the Edo period, the shrine was one of the only stopping points on the Tokaido road between the post towns of Fujisawa and Hiratsuka.  The shrine itself is some distance from the road, but a large tori gate alongside the road let travelers know that there was a place to stop, rest, and pray.  Modern Route 1 follows the path of the old Tokaido road, sending travelers past the old gate just like in years past.

Flowering fruit trees on an island in a dry pond. There are old, dry ponds on either side of the path leading to the shrine. It is a shame that the approach has fallen into disrepair.

Today, the shrine isn’t what it likely once was.  The city has grown up around it and encroached somewhat onto the grounds.  The beautiful old ponds are empty.  All around it are the hustle and bustle of the city.  Even so, it is a beautiful place to take a walk and Tsurumine Hachimangu Shrine is an important part of Chigasaki’s heritage.  For that alone, it is worth checking out.

NOTE:  As mentioned, much of this article was originally published in the Spring 2017 issue of Chigasaki Breeze, Chigasaki City’s quarterly English language public relations newspaper, where I act as proofreader.  You can find the spring issue with the original article here: http://www.city.chigasaki.kanagawa.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/769/CB67f.pdf