Chiba Shrine
Around Chiba Station
In the late Heian period, Taira no Yoshibumi, who ruled over much of southern Kantō, prayed to Lord Myōken before every battle and received divine protection, always achieving great victories. Descended from Lord Yoshibumi, the Chiba clan enshrined Lord Myōken as the guardian deity of their clan and retainers in various locations, offering fervent devotion through the generations.
During the time of Taira no Tadatune, the third generation of the Chiba clan, a shrine enshrining a branch spirit (a manifestation) of Myoken-sama was built by the Chiba clan on a section of Mount Kandori, within the precincts of Katori Shrine, which was enshrined in the Chiba region. (Date unknown)
When Emperor Ichijō, the 66th emperor, who suffered from an eye disease, prayed at this shrine for his recovery, his illness was instantly cured. In gratitude, Emperor Ichijō bestowed a thin ink imperial edict and the temple name “Hokutosan Kongōju-ji.”
Lord Tsunenori, wishing to match the honor of the bestowed temple name, fully developed the temple grounds. He appointed his second son, Kakusan, as the chief priest. On the 13th day of the 9th month of the old calendar in the 2nd year of Chōhō (1000 AD), he reestablished and founded “Hokutosan Kongōju-ji.”
(Omitted) In 1869 (Meiji 2), following the Bakumatsu period, the Meiji government issued the “Decree Separating Shinto and Buddhism,” which clearly distinguished between shrines and temples, whose boundaries had been ambiguous at the time.After deliberation among the priests, representatives, and parishioners, it was decided that since the Mikoshi procession during the Myoken Grand Festival followed shrine traditions, the centuries-old festival would be preserved. The site was renamed “Chiba Shrine” and became a shrine, a status it holds to this day. (Translated from the “History” section of the Chiba Shrine official website)
※Chiba City Arts Triennale 2025 will be held at select venues.
Address: 1-16-1 Inai, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba
Access
【Rail】13-minute walk from JR Chiba Station or Keisei Chiba Station
【Bus】1-minute walk from “Inai-cho” bus stop
Stopping routes (departing from JR Chiba Station East Exit)
・ Platform 6: Keisei Bus Chiba East bound for “Chiba Station North Exit / Nishi-Chiba Station”
※For inquiries regarding the Chiba City Arts Triennale 2025, please use Contact Form. Please refrain from contacting individual facilities or venues directly.