Sep 14, 2016 - 1 min read

Sarue-jinja Shrine

An intimate, ancient shrine in eastern Tokyo

By Peter Sidell

Community writer

A picture of a monkey, saru in Japanese

New Year's decoration on the hall

A lantern by the hall

One of the guardian lions

The area by the side of the hall has some older things

Ancient komainu guardian wolf-dogs

A lantern by the hall

Guarding the side shrine

Purify your hands here

Another pack of komainu

The lichens and damage show just how old these are

A little side shrine

The main gate from the street

Near Sarue Onshi park and Sumiyoshi station in the eastern part of central Tokyo, Sarue-jinja is a small but appealing Shinto shrine. It's a mix of old and new: the main hall looks like it's of recent construction, but around the side there are some older objects that show just how long the shrine has been here: ancient stone miniature shrines and statues of guardian dogs, covered by lichens or weathered, worn and damaged with age.

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Peter Sidell

By Peter Sidell

Community writer

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