Hie Shrine (日枝神社 (千代田区))

Hie Shrine stands at the edge of the Imperial Palace grounds in central Tokyo, its entrance marked not by foxes or komainu but by pairs of sacred monkeys. These stone messengers — male holding a scroll, female cradling an infant — represent the shrine’s connection to Mount Hiei near Kyoto and its protection of childbirth and marital harmony. The monkeys are called masaru, a homophone for “to win” and “to give birth,” and women hoping to conceive tie red bibs around the infant monkey’s neck. During the Edo period, this shrine was the spiritual guardian of Edo Castle and the Tokugawa shogunate itself. Today, its escalator to the upper shrine grounds — installed to accommodate elderly worshippers — has become one of Tokyo’s more surreal sacred experiences: riding through a tunnel of vermilion torii gates while ascending a moving staircase.

The original Hie Shrine was founded in 1478 by Ōta Dōkan, the samurai who built the first fortifications on the site that became Edo Castle. Dōkan brought the deity from Hiyoshi Taisha near Kyoto, the head shrine of the mountain deity cult on Mount Hiei. When Tokugawa Ieyasu established his shogunate in Edo in 1603, he designated Hie as the protector shrine of the castle and the Tokugawa clan. The shrine was moved to its current location on a hill overlooking the castle in 1607. It became so central to Edo’s spiritual life that commoners were forbidden to enter — they could only worship from below at the base of the hill. The shrine was completely destroyed in the 1945 firebombing of Tokyo and rebuilt in 1958 in reinforced concrete following the original architectural plans.

Ōyamakui no Kami is the primary deity, a mountain god associated with the sacred Mount Hiei near Kyoto. This kami governs protection, governance, and the stability of the realm. The deity is also worshipped as a protector of marriage, safe childbirth, and child-rearing — hence the monkey messengers. The monkey connection comes from Mount Hiei’s traditional association with saru (monkeys) as divine attendants. Five subsidiary kami are also enshrined here, including Kunitokotachi no Kami, a primordial creation deity from the Kojiki. The shrine’s role as protector of the Tokugawa shogunate gave Ōyamakui political significance beyond typical mountain worship.

The Monkeys Who Saved Edo Castle: According to Edo-period tradition, the shrine’s monkey messengers came alive during the great Meireki Fire of 1657, which destroyed much of Edo including the original Hie Shrine. Witnesses reported seeing two monkeys — one carrying a scroll, one carrying an infant — running through the flames toward Edo Castle. They positioned themselves at the castle gates, and the fire changed direction, sparing the shogun’s residence. When the fire subsided, the monkeys had vanished, but stone statues matching their description were found at the shrine’s ruins. The Tokugawa shogunate ordered the shrine rebuilt immediately and commissioned new monkey statues. This legend cemented the shrine’s role as the castle’s mystical protector and established the tradition of praying to the monkeys for protection of children and family.

The shrine complex sits atop a wooded hill with three approach routes: the main stone steps from Akasaka, the escalator tunnel through torii gates from Kokkaigijidomae Station, and a western slope path. The honden (main hall) follows the Hie-zukuri style, a variant of the Nagare-zukuri style with a distinctive curved roofline. Though rebuilt in concrete, it preserves the crimson and gold color scheme of the Edo original. The grounds contain multiple subsidiary shrines, including one dedicated to Inari. The most distinctive architectural feature is the long tunnel of torii gates housing the escalator — a 1960s addition that scandalized traditionalists but has become beloved by locals. Stone monkey pairs appear throughout the grounds, each with slightly different expressions and poses, donated by worshippers over four centuries.

• Sannō Matsuri (June 10-16) — One of Tokyo’s three great festivals, originally performed for the shogun. The festival features a grand procession of three mikoshi (portable shrines) and period-costume participants that winds through central Tokyo, passing the Imperial Palace. During the Edo period, this was the only festival permitted to enter the castle grounds.
• Hatsumode (January 1-3) — New Year’s first shrine visit draws massive crowds of worshippers and politicians, as the shrine sits near the National Diet Building.
• Setsubun (February 3-4) — Bean-throwing ceremony to drive out evil spirits, with special prayers for Tokyo’s political stability.

Early morning on weekdays, when the escalator tunnel creates a meditative ascent without crowds. The Sannō Matsuri in mid-June is spectacular but draws enormous crowds — the procession itself is worth planning around. Avoid January 1-3 unless you enjoy standing in queues with tens of thousands of people. Cherry blossoms bloom along the approach paths in early April, creating a brief window when the shrine’s traditional beauty softens its urban concrete architecture. The shrine is illuminated after dark, and evening visits offer solitude and a view of the city lights below.