Kanda Myojin Shrine
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- Other Name(s)
- Kanda-jinja Shrine
- Current Address
- Chiyoda-ku, Sotokanda
- Description
- It was believed this shrine enshrined Taira no Masakado. It is an old shrine that was originally constructed in 730, however it was relocated for the expansion of Edo Castle and moved to its current location in 1616. It was dedicated as the protective shrine for Edo by the 2nd Shogun Hidetada, with parishioners from the north and east of Nihonbashi-gawa River attending Kanda Myojin Shrine and parishioners from the southwest attending Sanno Gongen. The annual festival on September 15 (presently held in May) was called the Kandamatsuri (Kanda festival) and is one of Edo's 3 major festivals. Because the festival was a magnificent affair, the Shogunate ordered that it should be held every other year, alternating with the Sanno Festival from 1681. The magnificent procession of the festival gathered at Sakuranobaba next to Yushima Seido Shrine before dawn, and then made its way into the castle grounds through Sotokanda and Uchikanda, before entering through the Tayasu-mon Gate. After being viewed by the Shogun, the procession exited through the Takebashi-mon Gate, passed through the Sakai Clan residences (the former site of the Kanda Myojin Shrine) and exited through the Tokiwabashi-mon Gate and dispersed.
