Discovering the Attractive Qualities of Shinagawa!

Kyu-Tokaido area

Let’s Experience History in the Kyu-Tokaido Area, Where Feudal Lords Walked!

The Tokaido was an important road connecting eastern and western Japan for over a thousand years. During the Edo Period (1603–1868) there were five routes, and many shukuba (post stations) were built on those routes. On the Tokaido route from Edo (old Tokyo) to Kyoto, for example, there were 53 shukuba. Shinagawa-shuku was the first shukuba travelers reached when departing from Edo, and bustled with activity as the city’s gateway.
Remnants of that historical time remain in the Kyu-Tokaido area of Shinagawa City. Why not take a leisurely stroll down the street where feudal lords once walked?

1: Shinagawa-shuku Koryukan(community lounge)

This information transmitting and tourist information center for Shinagawa-shuku opened in 2009. There is a free rest area on the first floor, and the second floor features an exhibition that introduces the history and culture of Shinagawa-shuku.
Address: 2-28-19 Kita-Shinagawa　
Tel: 3472-4772
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closed: Mondays

2: Tourist Information Center “TOIYABA”

This tourist information center for foreign tourists opened in April 2016 with English-speaking staff. They can provide directions and background on tourist spots, and offer advice on any trouble tourists might have. There are also services such as left-luggage (fees charged). The facility is a joint complex with a guesthouse.
Address: 1-22-16 Kita-Shinagawa
Tel: 6712-9440

3: Tokaido Shinagawa-shuku Honjin Site

The accommodations for feudal lords and Imperial envoys were called honjin, and these facilities existed until the post station system was eliminated in 1872. The site is now a municipal park.
Address: Within Seiseki Park, 2-7-21 Kita-Shinagawa

4: Shinagawa Shrine

The most striking features of this shrine are the towering torii and Fujizuka mound seen from the entrance. Mount Fuji was an object of worship during the Edo Period, and the Fujizuka mound was built for those who could not travel to the famed mountain itself. It was said that if you climbed the mound, it was the same as climbing Mount Fuji. Fujizuka mound (Shinagawa Fuji) in this shrine was built in 1869. The Shinagawa Shrine Reitai-sai Festival (annual festival of Shinagawa Shrine) is held in June, and the mikoshi (portable shrine) makes its way up and down the 53-step stone stairs.
Address: 3-7-15 Kita-Shinagawa

5: Ebara Shrine

This shrine, established in 709, is located along the Meguro River. Since ancient days it has been worshipped as the place of the dragon god who controls the rain, and people offered prayers for it. It is said that in 1062, when conquering the Tohoku (northeast of Japan) region, seawater was drawn to pray for victory and offered to the god.
In spring, you can enjoy cherry blossoms in bloom along the river. In early June, Ebara Shrine Reitai-sai Festival (Minami-no Tenno-sai Festival) takes place, including a daring mikoshi (portable shrine) togyo (procession) that enters the ocean.
Address: 2-30-28 Kita-Shinagawa

6: Yoriki Shrine

Yoriki Shrine is the guardian shrine of fishermen in Shinagawa. The shrine has three pairs of komainu (stone guardian dogs), one with a plate on top of its head is called Kappa Komainu. Address: 1-35-8 Higashi-Shinagawa

7: Tokaiji Temple

8: Kagata Shrine and the Burial Mound of a Whale

Kagata Shine, located near the harbor in Shinagawa-ura waters, is the site of a monument to a whale. In 1798 (latter Edo Period) a large whale wandered into the sea around Shinagawa due to a storm. The whale—about 16.5 meters in length and about two meters in height—becoming widely known throughout Edo. People buried its bones and built this mound as a memorial offering. This is said to be the only whale monument (whale mound) in Tokyo.
Address: 1-7-17 Higashi-Shinagawa

9: Honsenji Temple

This temple was reportedly established between 806–10 and reconstructed in 1652 during the early Edo Period. The main feature of Honsenji Temple is the statue of the jizo (Bodhisattva) built in 1708 at the entrance to its grounds, one of six jizo placed at six entrances to Edo. The figure watches over the traffic of Kyu-tokaido St. even today. The temple’s bell was lost after it was taken abroad at the end of the Edo Period, and it was found later at the Musée Ariana in Geneva, Switzerland and returned to Shinagawa.
Address: 3-5-17 Minami-Shinagawa

10: Kaiunji Temple and the Sentaikojin Festival

There are two halls in the front of Kaiunji Temple. The one on the right is the Main Hall, and the one on the left is Kojin Hall. Sentaikojin—the god of fire and water as well as the kitchen—is worshipped at Kojin Hall. Many people have felt close to this temple since the Edo Period. Even today, ritual burnt offerings are made to purify the shrine dedicated to the kitchen every year on the 27th and 28th of March and November. The area bustles during those periods with crowds of pilgrims and other visitors.
Address: 3-5-21 Minami-Shinagawa

11: Enmado Hall at Chotokuji Temple

This temple was reportedly established in 1463 in the middle of the Muromachi Period (1336–1573). On the left side of the Main Hall within the temple grounds is the smaller Enmado Hall, where an 88-centimeter-high wooden seated statue of King Enma (King of hell) is enshrined. This statue gained popularity with the faithful during the Edo Period. It was believed that this “hell’s pot” where criminals are boiled opened on the lunar New Year and July 16, and the area drew many worshippers who came to pray to King Enma for protection.
Address: 2-8-16 Minami-Shinagawa

12: Kaizoji Temple

This temple was reportedly established in 1298 during the latter part of the Kamakura Period (1185–1333). During the Edo Period, it was known as “the temple of unidentified bodies,” because criminals executed at Suzugamori Execution Ground and prostitutes working at Shinagawa-shuku with no one to claim their bodies were buried there. There is a group of towers to mourn the souls of those without relatives.
Address: 4-4-2 Minami-Shinagawa

	Tokai Shichifukujin (Seven Gods of Good Fortune) “Shichifukujin” refers to the seven gods believed to bring good fortune. At the beginning of the New Year, worshippers visit seven locations. On Kyu-tokaido St., Shinagawa Shrine, Yoganji Temple, Itshinji Temple, Ebara Shrine, Honsenji Temple, Tenso-suwa Shrine and Iwai Shrine each enshrine one of the Tokai Shichifukujin.
Komainu Stone Shrine Guardian Dogs These stone statues, which look like a cross between a lion and a dog, are placed on the left and right sides of the entrances to temples and shrines to serve as “watchdogs” of these places. There are various kinds of komainu statues depending on the temple, shrine or community. Comparing komainu statues is one way of enjoying a leisurely stroll.