[Kashima Shrine/Ibaraki Prefecture] The head shrine of about 600 shrines and the god of war

❤︎ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ❁ ❁ ❁ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ Kashima Shrine/Ibaraki Prefecture ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ❁ ❁ ❁ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ Hello 😃 20,000 steps a day 🐾 I'm 🚶♀️silver, who walks around the country visiting shrines ❣️ Kashima Shrine in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture 𓂃◌𓈒𓐍 𓂃◌𓈒𓐍𓂃◌𓈒𓐍𓂃 Kashima Shrine is the Ichinomiya of Hitachi Province, and is famous for visiting the Three Eastern Shrines together with Katori Shrine and Ikusu Shrine. 🙌 The deity worshipped is Takemikazuchi-no-Okami, known as the god of the transfer of the country. He is now famous for having had a strength contest with Takeminakata-no-Kami, the deity of Suwa Taisha Shrine in Nagano Prefecture. The Takemikazuchi-no-Okami that is worshipped here has a unique feature that is unique to Kashima Shrine. The one enshrined in the front shrine is the "Japanese spirit" of Takemikazuchi-no-Okami. The one enshrined in the inner shrine is the "Ara-tama" of Takemikazuchi-no-Okami. "Japanese spirit" symbolizes calmness, and "Ara-tama" symbolizes roughness, as the characters suggest. These two aspects coexist. That's why it's said that at the inner shrine, you can get courage and the blessings of starting something new! 🎶 Further on from the inner shrine is the "Keystone🪨". In the past, it was believed that the reason this area was shaking (earthquakes) was because catfish were raging underground! ️🙌 The keystone is what holds down the head and tail of the catfish😳 It's just a tiny stone🪨 peeking out from the ground, but it's actually a long stone rod stuck in it. Another place to see is the "Mitarai Pond". In the past, people would perform purification rituals here before worshiping. Nowadays, the "Daikanmisogi" ritual is held at the beginning of the year, with as many as 200 people participating! ️ The clear water that still springs forth is an astounding 400,000 liters a day 😳 It is extremely clear, making it feel even more sacred 💕 There is a lot to see, but the approach to the inner shrine is surrounded by rows of cedar trees and feels sacred, so it's a place you should definitely visit. 👉 Kashima Shrine's highlights ⛩A god with two sides ⛩Okumiya, Kanameishi, Mitarai Pond ⛩Cedar trees along the approach ✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼ ꕥShrine name: Kashima Shrine ꕥAddress: 2306-1 Miyanaka, Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture ꕥAccess 🚌🚏Kashima Shrine Station → approx. 11 minutes walk ✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼ #Sakura2024 #Kashima Shrine #Shrine visit #Shrines and temples #Shrine tour #Ibaraki sightseeing