Mitsuzoin and Kokonoe Shrine

Even though Kawaguchi is relatively flat, there are some areas of higher ground in the eastern part of the city. At the southern end of this elevated area is a hill known as Kuboyama, which is where the Mitsuzoin temple is located. The date of its founding is unknown, but it is said to have been rebuilt in 1469. The temple gate was relocated from the former Satsuma clan’s residence in Edo in 1884 and early-flowering cherry blossoms called Angyo Zakura have been planted along the approach to the temple. Only here can you walk through a tunnel of cherry blossoms and admire the beauty of these trees much earlier in spring than in other places.
Immediately next to Mitsuzoin is Kokonoe Shrine. It is said that the 16th head priest of Mitsuzoin recommended the relocation of the region’s most influential shrine in the early 18th century, Hikawa Shrine in Omiya, Saitama City. It was therefore initially called Hikawa Shrine. At that time in Japan, the distinction between Buddhism and Shinto was often ambiguous and it was not uncommon for shrines to be built within the grounds of Buddhist temples. In the Meiji period, owing to the government’s policy of separating Buddhism and Shinto, the shrine was separated from the Buddhist temple and merged with eight small shrines nearby. It was then renamed Kokonoe Shrine, which means “nine combined” in Japanese. Within the precincts of the shrine is a mound called Ontakesan, the highest point in this area. There are also two giant itajii trees that are over 500 years old and the whole area has been designated as a forest for wild birds.

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Sights to see nearby Kokonoe Shrine