Hie-jinja Shrine 日枝神社

Hie-jinja Shrine is located on a hilltop between the Akasaka office district and the government buildings of Nagatacho. It is one of Tokyo's major shrines, particularly notable for the beautiful and stately Sanno Matsuri festival and its connection to the Tokugawa clan.

The west entrance takes you through a vivid tunnel of red torii, which is well worth seeing.

You can reach the shrine easily by subway or taxi.

The shrine is located in the city center and is accessible from a number of stations. It's a three-minute walk from Tameike-Sanno Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line and Ginza Line.

Most accounts say that the warlord Ota Dokan founded Hie-jinja Shrine in 1478, but its origins date back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). When shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu began ruling Japan from Edo Castle, he became a patron of Hie-jinja Shrine. In 1607, the shrine was moved outside of the castle, allowing the citizens of Edo to visit and worship there.

In 1868, during the Meiji Restoration and thereafter, Hie-jinja Shrine served as a guardian shrine of the Imperial Palace .

The shrine houses some of Japan's most treasured relics, including the Itomaki-no-Tachi (long sword with detailed lacing on the handle) crafted by Ichimonji Norimune and another sword made by Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu that once belonged to Emperor Meij.

During mid-June, Hie-jinja Shrine presents the Sanno Matsuri , one of the three major festivals of the Edo period, and the only one that makes its way around the Imperial Palace .