Inori no Mori祈りの杜working title

Shinto shrine

Asakusa Jinja

浅草神社(あさくさじんじゃ)

Taitō, Tokyo

A shrine beside the Kannon hall of Sensō-ji, fondly known as Sanja-sama. It enshrines three people connected with the origin of Sensō-ji's Kannon image: Haji no Matsuchi and the brothers Hinokuma no Hamanari and Takenari.

English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む

Prayers associated with this place

Enshrined kami: Haji no Matsuchi, Hinokuma no Hamanari and Takenari (Sanja Gongen)

History and things to know

According to shrine tradition, in the 36th year of Empress Suiko (628) the brothers Hinokuma no Hamanari and Takenari drew up a Kannon image from the water at Asakusa-ura and Haji no Matsuchi enshrined it, which was the origin of Sensō-ji; later the descendants of the three enshrined them as local kami, and this is said to be the beginning of this shrine. The shrine building, in the gongen-zukuri style, was donated by Tokugawa Iemitsu in Keian 2 (1649) and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.

Before you visit

It stands right beside Sensō-ji, but it is a shrine separate from Sensō-ji (the Kannon-sama).

Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)

How to visit a shrine or a temple: one example

Sources (in Japanese)

This site is independent of the shrines, temples, and other websites mentioned. No partnership or endorsement is implied.