Asakusa Shrine

It is located in Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo. The grounds are adjacent to Senso-ji Temple and are commonly known as Sanja Gongen and Sansha-sama. The main deities are Haji no Manakachi no Mikoto, Hinokuma no Hamanari no Mikoto, and Hizen Takenari no Mikoto. According to the temple's history and the shrine's legend, during the reign of Empress Suiko, local fishermen, brothers Hamanari and Takenari, found a statue of the Bodhisattva Kannon from the sea with a cast net, and Haji no Manakachi enshrined it in his residence as a temple. Later, after receiving a message from Kannon in a dream, Haji's eldest son enshrined the three as gods. Based on the idea of ​​Gongen in the history, it is believed to have been founded in the Kamakura period. The descendants of the enshrined deity served as the three Fudai priests of Senso-ji Temple for generations, but following the policy of separating Buddhism and Shintoism after the Meiji Restoration, the priesthood was taken over by Sentōbō, a descendant of the Haji clan, and continues to serve to this day. The current shrine building was built by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1649 (Keian 2) and is a national important cultural property. The annual festival held in mid-May is famous as the Sanja Matsuri.

[Minoru Sonoda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

東京都台東(たいとう)区浅草に鎮座。境内は浅草寺(せんそうじ)に接し、三社権現(さんじゃごんげん)、三社様と俗称する。主祭神は、土師真中知命(はじのまなかちのみこと)、檜前浜成命(ひのくまのはまなりのみこと)、檜前竹成(たけなり)命の3柱。創建は同寺縁起、社伝によると、推古(すいこ)朝に土地の漁師、浜成・竹成の兄弟が投網(とあみ)で聖観世音菩薩(しょうかんぜおんぼさつ)像を海中から拾い、土師真中知が居宅を寺として奉安、のち観世音の夢告により土師の嫡子が3人を神として祀(まつ)ったとある。縁起中の権現思想から推して鎌倉時代の創祀(そうし)とみられる。祭神の子孫が代々浅草寺三譜代(ふだい)として社僧も務めたが、明治維新後の神仏分離政策に従い、土師氏系の専当坊(せんとうぼう)が神職を継ぎ、今日に至る。現社殿は1649年（慶安2）徳川家光(いえみつ)の建立した国の重要文化財。5月中旬に行われる例祭は三社祭として有名。

［薗田　稔］

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