Chichibu Shrine is a tangible cultural property of Saitama Prefecture and home of Chichibu Yomatsuri, one of Japan’s three major Hikiyama festivals, along with Kyoto’s Gion Festival and Hida Takayama Festival.
Chichibu Shrine is an architectural sight and an important cultural and historical aspect of the Kanto region.
Shrine Background
Photo by: PIXTA/ denkei It is one of the three main shrines in the region.
Chichibu Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Japan with a history of 2,000 years. This beautiful Japanese Shinto shrine is located at the center of Chichibu city of Saitama Prefecture. It is one of the three main shrines or Chichibu Sanja in the Chichibu region.
During ancient times this shrine occupied a vast area in the forest of this mountainous region, over time the surroundings have changed a lot, but the calm and peaceful atmosphere has remained the same. It is said that visiting this shrine brings many blessings including family peace and prosperity and academic and work success.
Chichibu shrine was founded by the 10th generation of Kanemiko Yachi, but the old shrine building was burnt down during the war of 1569. The existing shrine building was built by Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1592 and it was designated as a national Tangible Cultural Property.
Ancient Accents
Photo by: PIXTA/ denkei How many animals can you spot?
The striking colorful wood carving on the wall of this Gongen Zukuri-styled temple made it more interesting. Master craftsman Hidari Jingoro designed those auspicious wood carvings for the enshrined deity, and the royal family, the most famous of which is the child-rearing tiger, three good luck monkeys, and a tethered dragon.
Chichibu shrine’s three monkeys are known as the three energetic monkeys who “see well, listen well, and speak well.” The baby-rearing tiger that can be seen on the front left side of the shrine was carved to protect the dignity of Prince Ieyasu and the enshrined deity. In this case, the tigress can be seen strangely carved as a leopard as it is thought that since tigers are not native to Japan and the artist had never seen a tigress before, the leopard may have been mistaken for a tigress.
Shrine Festivals
Photo by: Abhijit Sen A 300 year old festival.
The Chichibu Yomatsuri or Chichibu Night Festival is the grand festival of the Chichibu shrine as well as an important event of Saitama prefecture. It started around 300 years ago during the Edo period and is known as one of Japan’s three major float festivals, along with the Kyoto Gion Festival and the Hida Takayama Festival.
The main attractions of the festival are the paper lanterns (called bonbori ) which decorate the floats magnificently, the Kagura dance (a Shinto dance) performed throughout the day and last but not the least, the night sky filled with colorful fireworks. The festival, which takes place in the first week of December, has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset of Japan.
