Tamasaki Shrine

Tamasaki Shrine, located in Ichinomiya, Chiba, has been honored for more than a thousand years as the first shrine of the old Kazusa Province. Its principal deity is Tamayori-hime, a goddess associated with the sea, and the shrine is widely revered for blessings of matchmaking, fertility, and safe childbirth. Standing near the southern tip of the Kujukuri coast and facing the Pacific, it is also known as the starting point of a sunrise ley line that crosses central Japan.

Highlights

- The main hall, rebuilt in the Edo period, is finished in black lacquer in the elegant gongen style. - Within the grounds lies the Barefoot Path, where visitors walk slowly with bare feet to refresh body and mind. - The sacred ginkgo tree, called the fertility and child-rearing ginkgo, is honored as a symbol of marital harmony.

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring brings fresh greenery, summer a cool sea breeze, and autumn turns the ginkgo a brilliant gold. New Year mornings draw crowds who come to greet the first sunrise over the Pacific, and on the spring and autumn equinoxes one can sense the mystery of the ley line as the sun aligns in a straight path.

Access and Basic Information

- About an 8-minute walk from Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station on the JR Sotobo Line. - Roughly 70 minutes from Tokyo Station by the limited express Wakashio. - Parking is available, and the matchmaking amulets at the offering hall are popular.

A Quick Tip

It is said that walking the Barefoot Path clockwise three times helps wishes come true. Visit early in the morning when few people are around to pray quietly amid the clear air drifting in from the sea.