Shirahige Jinja (Higashimukojima)

Shirahige Jinja in Higashi-Mukojima, Sumida Ward, is said to have been founded in 951 when the monk Ryogen of Ganzandaishi fame enshrined a divided spirit from Shirahige Jinja in Shiga Prefecture. The principal deity is Sarutahiko Okamui, the god of guidance and pathfinding, and the shrine was formerly known as Shirahige Daimyojin. During the Edo period, when literary figures devised the Sumida River Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimage, this shrine was designated to represent Jurōjin, the deity of longevity. The grounds, known as the Forest of Shirahige and featuring pine and keyaki trees, were counted among the One Hundred Views of Mukojima. In 1907, Suwa Jinja to the south was merged into the shrine. The stone guardian dogs bearing a Bunka 12 inscription are registered as Sumida Ward tangible folk cultural properties.