Around the time of the Hydrangea Festival, I was walking along the Tama River to see the blooming flowers then I unexpectedly came across a lively celebration at the Asama Shrine where is known for one of the film locations in “Shin-Godzilla”.
The stone steps leading up the shrine, wrapped in the greenery of Tamagawadai Park, were filled with people. A tall sign reading “The 63rd Shikinen Sengu of the Grand Shrine of Ise” stood along the path, adding a quiet depth to the seasonal festivity.
Festival music(ohayashi)drifted through the trees, while a nostalgic kayōkyoku stage echoed in the shrine grounds. The snack of treats and drinks offered by the neighborhood association brought back the warm, welcoming and nostalgic feeling of past memories.
Number of people gathered around the food stalls, and the aroma of grilled dishes added to the vibrant energy of the local festival.
People in traditional attire-happi coats, yukata, shrine maidens, and priests-moved through the crowd, while families and elders enjoyed the early-summer air.
The deity of the Tama River Asama Shrine, Konohanasakuya-hime, belongs to the same mythological lineage as Amaterasu-Ōmikami of the Ise Grand Shrine.
Asama faith, rooted in the cycles of eruption and renewal symbolized by Mount Fuji, resonates deeply with Ise’s concept of tokowaka-the perpetual renewal embodied in rebuilding the shrine every twenty years.
The sign encouraging visitors to “Honor both the Jingū Taima and your local deity” reflects the layered structure of Shinto, where local community shrines coexist with the spiritual center of the nation.
How profound it is that these traditional festivals continue to preserve Japan’s cultural heritage and its enduring patterns of life.
What began as a simple walk to see hydrangeas became an unexpected little encounter:)
Location
Asama Shrine (Tamagawa) | ADDRESS : 1-55-12 Denen-Chofu, Ota-ku, Tokyo
