The Werewolf Shrine

Posted byJonelle PatrickPosted inAnimals, Beyond Tokyo, Just another day in Japan, Just...BeautifulTags:, , , , , , , , ,
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High on top of a snowy mountain in Chichibu – so far from any train station that you’ll be eligible for a senior citizen discount by the time you get off the bus – is the Mitsumine Jinja. At first it looks like a typical Shinto shrine with fox messengers at the gate…

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…but a closer look reveals the resident messengers-of-the-gods to be WEREWOLVES!

And how can you tell it's a werewolf? Because it looks like a dog, but it NEVER skips abs day at the gym
And how can you tell it’s a werewolf? Because it looks like a dog, but it NEVER skips abs day at the gym. EVER.

Unlike the shapeshifting Western versions who could use a good back hair waxing, oh-kami – the Japanese spirits that can take the form of men or wolves –are known for choosing to either devour lost travelers or lead them safely home. (So, uh, if you’ve chosen a career as an evildoer? Best not to take a shortcut on that deserted road through the mountains JUST SAYIN)

They're even on the prayer plaques
Write a wish on the back of these ema to ask the oh-kami to lead you out of your own particular muddle. They also specialize in curing loneliness.
All over this shrine are dog guardians, everywhere you'd expect to see foxes
Dog guardians are everywhere you’d expect to see foxes
Hey, wash your hands!
Hey! You! Wash your hands before you toss those coins in the offering box! Sheesh, were you raised by wolves?
And if the water is frozen (as it's likely to be, on a remote mountaintop in Chiba-ken during the winter) you can swish these wands made of cedar shavings over your hands instead
If the water at the purifying station is frozen (as it’s likely to be, at a shrine perched on a remote mountaintop in Saitama-ken during the winter) you can swish these wands made of cedar shavings over your hands instead

The most mysterious thing about the Mitsumine Shrine is that despite its seriously off-the-beaten-path location, the oh-kami do not seem to lack for generous donor action. Apparently, this is because the shrine is a renowned “power spot” (like the Fox Shrine To End All Fox Shrines in Kamakura) and it attracts boatloads of pilgrims with the spring thaw.

Check out how beautifully these buildings are restored!

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The shrine itself was founded over 2,000 years ago, and there are carvings inside that date from the 1400s. The buildings themselves were constructed in the 1800s.
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Want to visit the Mitsumine Jinja the next time you’re in Japan? It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible either. The best way is to drive (the Chichibu area is in Saitama prefecture, and it takes about two hours from metro Tokyo) but you can also take the Seibu Testsudo train to Chichibu Station, then get on an express bus from there to the Mitsumine Shrine.

And just for fun, here are the eleven strangest shrines in Tokyo, with all the inside scoop on the resident gods’ superpowers

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For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, changing the lives of all who possess it…read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Published by Jonelle Patrick

Writes all the Japan things.

5 thoughts on “The Werewolf Shrine”

      1. The only issue is her work schedule: she gets Fridays and Sundays off, but I’ll throw this out to her. Maybe next weekend…. (because the Switch just came out and I’m kind of running around Hyrule lol)

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