The main shrine of Enoshima Island

A red big Torii gate stands at the end of Nakamise Street. Here is the entrance of the sanctuary of Enoshima Jinja Shrines and the starting point of long stairs to the top of the mountain.
This red torii gate was re-built in 1936.

This torii gate and red lanterns are illuminated at night. The surrounding will be covered with a solemn atmosphere.

If there no confidence to climb the stairs, you can also go with paid escalator "ESCAR" [エスカー].

Left red building of the Red Torii gate is ticket office and entrance.

Escar connecting to the front of Samuel Cocking Garden on top of the island that has difference in height 46 meters, by 4 escalators.
However, this is one way for climbing up only, you have to walk down stairway to return.

• [Opening Hours] 8:50 - 19:05 (7:05 pm) everyday
• [Fare]

• All sector : 360Yen for Adults / 180Yen for Children

• Discount Fare for day-pass holder : 320Yen for Adults / 160Yen for Children

*Show your "Noriorikun", "Enoshima-Kamakura Free Pass" or "Shonan Monorail 1day Free Ticket" when you buy the ticket.

• 1st sector only (to Hetsunomiya main shrine)

200Yen for Adults / 100Yen for Children

• 2nd & 3rd sector only (Hetsunomiya main shrine - Top of the island)

180Yen for Adults / 90Yen for Children

• 3rd sector only (Nakatsunomiya - Top of the island)

100Yen for Adults / 50Yen for Children

When passing through the Red Torii gate, you will see a wooden tower gate on top of the stairs. This is Zuishinmon Tower Gate.
It is said to be modeled on Ryugujyo palace, a underwater palace that appeared in folk tales that "Urashima Taro".
This stairway is official worship road and called Otokozaka (means slope for male) since it is a steep stairs.

Walls and ceiling of the gate is decorated with a number of beautiful paintings of peony flowers [牡丹] and a pair of lion [唐獅子].
This lions protects the goddesses and worshipers.

To the end of the stairs of the gate, there is a stone relief of Benzaiten goddess and the Dragon. This statue was placed to commemorate 1450 years of founding of the shrine. When you are here in June or July, you should look back just under the gate. Some hydrangea flower blooms here. It is beautiful that the blue of the flower is in contrast to the red of torii gate.

If you proceed to the right immediately road through the red torii gate, you will find a red bridge. This way called as Onnazaka (means slope for female), a little gradual slope than Otokozaka.

Once you pass under the red bridge and climb up the road until the front of the house to the right. There is another road to go on the right rear to the red bridge.
When you cross the red bridge, you will reach to the top of stairs from Zuishinmon gate. If you go this way, you will bypasses the Zuishinmon gate that has some interest. So, don't forget to see the gate on your way back!!

With further go up the stairs, you have finally see the shrine buildings. This is the current main shrine of Enoshima Jinja Shrines, Hetsunomiya [辺津宮].

• [Opening Hours] Precincts open throughout the day
• [Admission] Free
• [Official Site]*Japanese only

It was built in 1206 by Minamono no Sanetomo, the third Shogun of Kamakura Shogunate. Present shrine building was re-built in 1976.
This shrine is dedicated to the goddess of three sisiters, and can see the figure in the carved wooden panel above the door in front.

A "Chinowa" grass wheel [茅の輪] placed in front of the shrine to purify the worshipers.
When you pass through the wheel, you will be purified.

There is a drawstring bag shaped offertory box in front of the shrine. It is very rare because those of box-shaped are common in Japan. This offertory box is unique carvings and it will sound if you put coin.

Unfortunately in 2017, this unique offertory box changed to a general box-shaped one. However, it is preserved in the shrine and at the time of a festival or etc., it will be placed in front of the main shrine building and seems to be able to see its unique figure.

Do you know?

How to worship at the shrine

Wash your hand at fountain on the way to shrine building, first of all.

When you arrive at shrine building, Stand in front of offertory box.

• First, Throw a coin into the offertory box.
• Next, Bow twice.
• Then, Clap twice and recite a wish in your mind.
• Finally, Bow again.

Around the main shrine building, the shrine sells various type of Omikuji [おみくじ Sacred lot] and Omamori [御守 Lucky charm].

Omikuji [おみくじ] is a paper to tell fortune and advice for your near future and it is in both Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple. Originally, it was used to decide the important political decision in the ancient times. In Kamakura era, it was transformed to forecast of personal fortune.
Generally, it is written in Japanese, but here and some other shrines and temples have multi-language version (English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean).

The result of fortune has 6 kinds of ranks roughly.

• 大吉 - Excellent luck
• 中吉 - Very good luck
• 吉 - Good luck
• 小吉  - Slightly good luck
• 末吉 - Uncertain luck
• 凶 - Bad luck

If you get Bad luck, there is a custom to tie up your Omikuji to the shelf in the precincts, and to leave it. But some people pleased to get "Bad luck", because ratio of the bad luck decreases in recent years.

Omamori [御守] is a lucky charm and it is also in both Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple.
A charm wrapped in a cloth bag is common in Japan. But many shrines and temples sells various form of Omamori such as an animal, the doll, traditional lucky item and more.

"Goshuin" (or "Shuin") [御朱印] is a seal stamp given by Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples to visit there and prove that you have a the relationship with the gods or Buddha. The name of the shrine or the temple and the name of its principal image are written in traditional Shodo-style handwriting.
To get Goshuin, you need to pay 300yen to 600yen (price may vary by shrine and temple).
There is a seal stamp collection notebook called "Shuin-cho" [朱印帳] and is sold various unique original design by shrines and temples in recent year.

You will see a red octagonal building next to left of main shrine. It is Hoanden [奉安殿] building, statue of naked Benzaiten goddess which was made in the Kamakura era has been enshrined in.

• [Opening Hours] 8:30 to 16:30
  [Admission] 150Yen for Adult
• 100Yen for High school or Junior high school student
• 50Yen for Elementary school student.

Go further from the pond, you will find some rack covered in pink.
This is "Emma"[絵馬] wooden plaque that write down your wish to tell the god. Hetsunomiya has been particularly said that there is divine favor for matchmaking.

• 500Yen for 1piece (Prayer fee included.)

When you finish write down your wish to Emma, hang it on anywhere in the Emma rack.

There is a small pond that a white dragon god stands in back.
As same as famous Zeniarai Benten [銭洗弁天] in Kamakura, if you wash the money in this pond, there is a legend that the money will come back to increased many times over.

You can overlooking Katase Town, Bentenbashi Bridge and Nakamise Street that you have walked here, from observation hill next to Emma rack.

When you go ahead through the way more, there is a torii gate and you leave the precincts of Hetsunomiya main shrine.
If you turn right here, you can go to the top of the mountain via Nakatsunomiya the 2nd shrine of Enoshima Jinja.