The One about Inokashira Park in Kichijoji Part 1
The One about Inokashira Park in Kichijoji Part 2
Located across from Bentenbashi Bridge at Inokashira Park is another shrine and it is known as Inokashira Benzaiten Shrine.
Dedicated to Benzaiten, originally the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, the place is worshipped by musicians, artists and scholars.
Benzaiten, a Japanese Buddhist goddess was worshiped by Japanese as early as the 6th century.
A goddess of everything that flows: water, time, words, speech, eloquence, music and knowledge, she is considered in Japan as a protector-deity. She also became one of the Seven Gods of Fortune.
She is also seen as a guardian angel for the water goddess and grain harvest. The Benzaiten goddess at Inokashira is an eight-armed representation who bears the Ugajin (harvest and wealth god) on her head. This Buddha is withheld from public viewing.
The shrine lies in a stretch of land in Inokashira Pond. At first, I wondered if it was manmade, but in 1838, Utagawa Hiroshige painted “Inokashira no ike Benzaiten no yashiro yuki no kei” (Snow Scene of Benzaiten Shrine in Inokashira Pond), and how the place was literally a lone shrine in the middle of the pond.
When you go to Benzaiten Shrine, you can’t help but be captivated by the red and blue colors.
On the left is the Ugami, a very rare statue to see of a body of a snake and is related to the “Inohoko White Snake Legend”.
Once upon a time, a long-time married couple of Setagaya didn’t have children, so they wished for Benzaiten for a child.
Then a girl with three scales on her neck would be born and the girl had a good reputation and there were some who wanted the girl as a daughter-in-law. (Note: The three pyramids are scales and thus you will see it on the lanterns at the shrine).
However, when she turned 16-years-old, the girl said, “I am the incarnation of the Lord of the Pond”. The girl then jumped into the pond and turned into a white snake.
Now as an elderly couple, they would come and visit the pond. They didn’t eat hardly any meals and they were frail and weak.
The elderly couple then heard a voice from the pond, “Do not be sad forever, I am watching you with Benzaiten from this pond”.
The elderly couple stopped and looked at each other, took each other’s hand and stood up.
They would donate the statue of Ugami (God of Grain) which they carved. The statue features a body wrapped around by a snake, to Benzaiten Shrine.
While a small shrine, it’s one of the primary places where you will find a lot of people visiting at Inokashira Park.
To the right of the shrine is Inokashira Pond, to the left is the Nanai Fudosuno.
But if you have a chance, look at the craftmanship of the statues to what is around the shrine.
The sculpture of Benzaiten is only available for public viewing once every 12 years (the last time was April 13-15, 2013, so the next time it will be available to see by the public is in 2025).
As for how old the shrine is, I couldn’t find any information about it. What I have read is that the Ugami statue was there since 1699, the guardian dogs since 1771, the basin since 1713 and others from the 1700-1800’s.
So, there is a lot of history with this small shrine and definitely worth a visit if you happen to be at Inokashira Park.
