⛩️ Kashima Jingu Shrine (鹿島神宮)

Located in the southeast of Ibaraki Prefecture in Kashima City, **Kashima Jingu** is believed to have been established in the first year of Emperor Jinmu (660 BC) and is the ichinomiya (the first shrine) of Hitachi Province. The main deity enshrined there is **Takemikazuchi no Kami**, the god of Japan's founding and martial arts, who has been revered since ancient times by the imperial court, the Fujiwara clan, warriors like Minamoto no Yoritomo and Tokugawa Ieyasu, as well as swordsmen like Tsukahara Bokuden. It is deeply respected by the public for blessings such as victory, improvement in martial arts, and dispelling disasters. The shrine covers an area equivalent to 15 Tokyo Domes and is situated amid a dense forest of cedar and oak trees. After passing through the **Otorii** (great torii gate), visitors reach the end of the approach path where they can see the vermillion **Rōmon** (gate) donated by Tokugawa Yoshifusa, the first lord of the Mito domain. After passing through the magnificent gate, which is 13 meters high, one finds the **Haidate** (worship hall) located in the vast grounds, and behind it, stands the **Honden** (main hall) where the main deity is enshrined. A sacred tree, estimated to be over 1300 years old, towers approximately 40 meters high. Continuing along the approach path leads to the **Okumiya** (inner shrine), which enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu. About 2.5 kilometers to the west of Kashima Jingu, in Ofunatsu, stands the **Nishi Ichinotorii** (western first torii) in the waters of North Lake (part of Kasumigaura). This area has historically been a crucial waterway, where many worshippers traveled by boat to Kashima Jingu for pilgrimage. The ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige depicted the scene of the Nishi Ichinotorii standing in the harbor for ships in his work "Famous Places of the Sixty-odd Provinces" during the Edo period.

It is said that its main gate is one of Japan's three great torii gates, along with those of Hakozaki Shrine in Fukuoka and Aso Shrine in Kumamoto. The "Nishi Ichinotorii" (西一之鳥居) stands 18.5 meters tall and spans 22.5 meters wide, making it the largest floating torii gate in Japan. Within the shrine grounds, there is a "Deer Park" (鹿園) where about 20 deer live. The deer, known as "messengers of the gods" and referred to as "Shika" (神鹿), have become the namesake for the Kashima Antlers football team, derived from the English term for deer antlers, "Antler." It is said that the "Yōseki" (要石), a stone that is believed to suppress the head of the catfish causing earthquakes, is enshrined behind the "Okumiya" (奧宮). The large torii gate was constructed from four cedar trees cut down inside the shrine grounds and was rebuilt three years after collapsing during the Great East Japan Earthquake.