About Hikawa jinja (Saitama)
Hikawa Shrine is a shrine located in Omiya-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Kanto Region, Japan. It is the head shrine of Hikawa Shrine located throughout Musashi Province (Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture), and is also called Omiya Hikawa Shrine to distinguish it from other Hikawa Shrines. It was founded in 473 B.C. and is one of the oldest surviving shrines in Japan.
According to a brief history of shrines, Hikawa Shrine was founded 2,400 years ago during the 5th Emperor Hyoho’s reign, and in the middle of the Heian period, in 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of a code of laws called the “Hikikari-style Shinto account”, and Hikawa Shrine was designated as a Meishin Taisha (a shrine dedicated to a famous deity with remarkable spiritual experience from ancient times). In 1868, the Emperor Meiji visited Hikawa Shrine and made it a shrine for the protection of the country.
Hikawa Shrine has a long history of more than 2,000 years and has been believed in by the Japanese people since ancient times, especially in the Kanto region. Every New Year’s Day, many visitors come to visit the shrine and pray for a happy and safe new year.
How to get there
Public Transportation: East Exit of JR Omiya Station → 15 min. walk
Car: 3 km 20 min. from Metropolitan Expressway Shintoshin West Exit via Route 17
Tips
It is the headquarters of approximately 280 Hikawa shrines scattered throughout the Tokyo metropolitan area, and is one of the oldest shrines in Japan with a history of 2,400 years.
As the first shrine in Musashi, Hikawa Shrine has been designated as an imperial shrine since the Meiji Emperor’s festival, and is worshipped throughout the Kanto region. The shrine is also the site of the Omiya Takigi Noh (Noh performed on firewood) in May, the annual festival in August, and the Oyu Festival in December, among many other events. The approach to the shrine, which runs about 2 km from the old Nakasendo Road, is lined with over 650 trees of more than 30 varieties, including zelkova, camphor, and cherry, 20 of which have been designated as natural treasures of the city and designated as green spaces for preservation.
Website
https://musashiichinomiya-hikawa.or.jp/access/