Meiji Jingu Shrine
The Meiji Jingu is the Shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji who was the 122nd Empower of Japan who died in 1912 and his wife, Empress Shoken in 1914. Their souls were enshrined on November 1, 1920. Unfortunately the original building was destroyed by fire during World War II but was later rebuilt, opening in October of 1958.
Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of modern Japan, being born in 1852 and ascended to the throne in at the age of 16 in 1868 during the time of Meiji Restoration when the power was switched from the feudal Tokugawa government to the emperor. During the time Emperor Meiji ruled Japan went through major modernisation and westernisation to become one of the world’s major powers.
The shrine is located in a wooded park area next to Yoyogi Park and is home to several events and festivals are celebrated throughout the year.
The shrine is made of four main areas including the Naihaiden which is the inner shrine precinct. This is home to six shrine buildings and some offices. The Gehaiden or outer precinct houses the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery and the Meiji Memorial Hall which has over 120000 trees of 365 species, and Japan’s tallest Myojin Torii which is 12 metres high. The Shinko or Treasure House and the Shinsenjo are the Consecrated Kitchen which is used for the preparation of food offerings.
To show proper respect when visiting the shrine you must enter wearing only appropriate dress, you must proceed along the path through the Torii Gate and rinse your hands and mouth using the water in the stone basin. It is important not to touch the dipper with your lips. When visiting the main shrine building you may like to throw some coins in the offering box but you must remember to bow twice at the main shrine then clap your hands twice and finally bow once again.
The shrine sits in just over 175 acres of land and is a garden area where the late Emperor and his wife sometimes visited. The shrine is built out of Japanese Cypress from Kiso which is considered the best timber in Japan. The roof is made from copper plates. The architectural style of the shrine is called Nagarezukuri.
The shrine is open every day from sunrise to sunset. It is probably best to avoid the shrine on January one where over 3 million people turn up many wearing traditional dress. The shrine is easily reached by rail the closest stations are a 7 minutes on foot from Harajuku Station on JR Yamanote Line or Meiji Jingu-mae on subway Chiyoda Line.
