Shrine · Asakusa

Asakusa Shrine 浅草神社

The Shinto shrine standing right beside Senso-ji, dedicated to the three men who pulled the Kannon statue from the Sumida River in 628, a calm, 1649 Important Cultural Property building and the home of the wild Sanja Matsuri each May.

About

Most visitors to Senso-ji walk straight past it, but just east of the main hall sits Asakusa Shrine, nicknamed Sanja-sama ("the shrine of the three gods"). It honours the two fisherman brothers, Hinokuma Hamanari and Takenari, who netted a small golden Kannon image in 628, and Hajino Nakatomo, the local leader who enshrined it, the founding story of Senso-ji itself. The current honden, heiden and haiden were donated by the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1649, survived the 1923 earthquake and the 1945 air raids, and are a rare early example of the gongen-zukuri style; they are designated an Important Cultural Property. Over the third weekend of May the Sanja Matsuri, one of Tokyo's biggest and rowdiest festivals, sends around 100 neighbourhood mikoshi and the three main portable shrines through Asakusa amid roughly two million spectators. The shrine is also known for marriage and relationship luck, look for the pair of komainu (guardian dogs) touching each other.

Highlights

• Gongen-zukuri halls donated by shogun Iemitsu in 1649, an Important Cultural Property that survived both 1923 and 1945
• Sanja Matsuri (third weekend of May): three huge main mikoshi plus ~100 neighbourhood ones paraded through Asakusa
• Affectionate pair of "fufu komainu" guardian lions, a magnet for couples praying for good relationships
• Shrine to the founders of Senso-ji, so the two sites tell one story
• Seasonal and limited-edition goshuin stamps, popular with collectors

Tips

• Exit Senso-ji's main hall and turn right (east), the shrine's torii is about 50 m away and far quieter than the temple.
• Goshuin and charms are available roughly 9:00–16:00 on weekdays and to 16:30 on weekends; arrive before then.
• During the Sanja Matsuri the shrine itself is packed from dawn, watch the Sunday main-mikoshi departure (Miyadashi) from a distance, or come back on a quiet weekday.
• Bow at the torii, rinse hands and mouth at the temizuya, then bow twice, clap twice, bow once, the Shinto routine, unlike Senso-ji next door.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Senso-jiTemple · 80 m away
• Senso-ji Five-Storey Pagoda at NightPhoto Spot · 130 m away
• Suzukien AsakusaCafé & Sweets · 170 m away
• Fujiya TenuguiUnique Store · 200 m away
• Benten-yama Miyako SushiSushi & Seafood · 200 m away
• Asakusa Kagetsudo (Main Store)Café & Sweets · 210 m away
• Nakamise-doriShopping Street · 220 m away
• Hayata CameraCamera Store · 230 m away