Nezu Shrine: Tokyo’s 1,900-Year-Old Shrine & Stunning Azalea Garden

Introduction

Nezu Shrine, in the Nezu district of Bunkyo Ward, is one of the Tokyo Jusha (Ten Shrines of Tokyo). According to shrine tradition, it was founded about 1,900 years ago by Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, and the present buildings were completed in 1706 (Hoei 3) by order of the fifth shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. All seven structures built at that time — the Honden (main hall), Heiden (offering hall), Haiden (worship hall), Karamon Gate, West Gate, Sukibei (lattice fence), and Romon Gate — survive intact and are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

During the Bunkyo Azalea Festival in April, visitors can see the Azalea Garden, with about 3,000 bushes of some 100 varieties, and the vermilion Senbon Torii leading up to Otome Inari. This article covers the shrine’s history, the highlights of the grounds, nearby sights, and access.

Overview of Nezu Shrine

The official name is Nezu Jinja, but during the era of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism it was called Nezu Gongen. The three principal deities are Susanoo no Mikoto, Oyamakui no Mikoto, and Honda Wake no Mikoto, with Okuninushi no Mikoto and Sugawara no Michizane enshrined alongside them. The shrine is associated with protection from misfortune, matchmaking, and business prosperity. Other members of the Tokyo Jusha include Kanda Shrine and Hie Shrine.

*Please check the official Nezu Shrine website for the latest visiting hours and fees.

The nearest stations are Nezu and Sendagi on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line and Todaimae on the Namboku Line, each about a 5-minute walk away. According to the shrine’s website, the grounds cover about 7,000 tsubo (roughly 23,000 square meters) of sacred woodland, with the Romon Gate, Karamon Gate, Haiden, Honden, and Sukibei standing close together.

History of Nezu Shrine

Period 1 — The Founding (Emperor Keiko to the Nara Period)

According to shrine tradition, during the reign of the 12th emperor, Keiko, Yamato Takeru no Mikoto honored the warrior deity Susanoo no Mikoto in Sendagi while on his eastern campaign, founding the shrine there. Almost no records survive about the size or exact location of the early shrine, or about worship there in ancient times.

Period 2 — Medieval Prosperity (Heian to Muromachi Periods)

Reliable records of the shrine in the medieval period are scarce, but Ota Dokan is said to have built a shrine hall during the Bunmei era (1469–1487). In the era of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, Susanoo was worshipped with the Eleven-Faced Kannon as his Buddhist counterpart, and together with Sanno Daigongen and Hachiman Daibosatsu the shrine was known as Nezu Sansha Daigongen.

Period 3 — Early Edo Period and Ties to the Tokugawa Shoguns (17th Century)

The turning point came in the Edo period. The present grounds were once the estate of Tokugawa Tsunashige, lord of Kofu, third son of the third shogun Iemitsu and elder brother of Tsunayoshi. It was also the birthplace of Tsunatoyo (Ienobu), who later became the sixth shogun.

In 1704 (Hoei 1), when Tsunayoshi named his nephew Tsunatoyo as his heir, he donated the estate to Nezu Gongen, the guardian deity of Ienobu’s birthplace, and carried out a major state-sponsored construction project known as “Tenka Bushin.” The present buildings were completed in 1706 (Hoei 3), the deity was moved from the former site in Sendagi, and the shrine was granted a permanent stipend of 500 koku. The Honden, Heiden, and Haiden are joined in the gongen-zukuri style, and together with the Karamon Gate, West Gate, Sukibei, and Romon Gate all seven structures remain.

Period 4 — Mid-Edo Festivals and the Faith of Edo Commoners (18th – 19th Centuries)

The sixth shogun Ienobu fixed the shrine’s festival on September 21, and in 1714 (Shotoku 4) he had floats sent from every district of Edo, holding it on a grand scale as a “Tenka Matsuri” (Shogun’s Festival) alongside the Sanno and Kanda festivals. The three mikoshi (portable shrines) Ienobu donated then still exist and are Tangible Cultural Properties of Bunkyo Ward (normally not on display; one is shown at each Shinko-sai procession, held once every four years).

A pleasure quarter grew up in front of the shrine, and in the Meiji period the Nezu Yukaku was located here (it moved to Susaki in 1888). After the Meiji Restoration, the separation of Shinto and Buddhism led to the name change from Nezu Gongen-sha to Nezu Jinja, and the shrine was designated a Jun-chokusaisha (shrine receiving imperial envoys) on Emperor Meiji’s journey to Tokyo. Buddhist elements were removed, but the historic buildings themselves were left as they were — the manji (swastika) crests seen throughout the buildings are a remnant of that era.

Period 5 — Modern Era: Nezu Among Literary Giants, and Into the Present

From the Meiji period onward, many writers lived nearby. Natsume Soseki lived in neighboring Sendagi for about four years from 1903 (Meiji 36), and wrote I Am a Cat in that house. Nearby Dangozaka also appears in his novel Sanshiro (1908). Mori Ogai also made his home in Sendagi. According to the shrine’s website, both Soseki and Ogai were parishioners of Nezu Shrine, and the grounds contain the “Bungo no Ishi” (Writers’ Stone), where the two are said to have sat down to rest on their walks.

War damage in 1945 (Showa 20) affected part of the buildings, but restoration was completed in 1959 (Showa 34), and repairs to the Karamon Gate, Sukibei, and Romon Gate were finished in 1962 (Showa 37).

Highlights and Recommended Spots

1. Karamon and Romon Gates — Two Gates of Edo Shrine Architecture

The first gate you pass through along the approach is the vermilion Romon Gate. According to the shrine’s website, it is the only surviving romon (two-story gate) of a shrine in old Edo. Of the two guardian figures enshrined inside, the one on the right is said to be modeled on Mito Komon (Tokugawa Mitsukuni).

Beyond it stands the Karamon Gate, built in the “hira-karamon” style with cusped karahafu gables on both sides. Its ceiling is said to have once carried an ink painting of a dragon, which no longer survives. All seven Important Cultural Properties, including these two gates, are finished in genuine lacquer.

2. Honden and Haiden — Gongen-Style Halls and the Sukibei Fence

Behind the Karamon Gate stand the Haiden, Heiden, and Honden. The worship hall in front, the raised main hall at the back, and the offering hall linking them form a single connected structure called gongen-zukuri, the same Edo-period shrine style used at Nikko Toshogu.

The Sukibei fence surrounding the buildings takes its name from its diamond-lattice windows of thin wood, through which you can see inside. The shrine reports that this roughly 200-meter fence has not warped in 300 years, and that a recent survey found its foundations extend 8 meters underground. The West Gate is a munamon, a simple two-legged gate whose structural weakness means few examples survive. During the Azalea Festival, the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets paintings by Morimura Giei inside the shrine hall can also be viewed at two set times a day for a fee.

3. Azalea Garden — About 3,000 Bushes of 100 Varieties

The Azalea Garden on the western slope of the grounds dates back to when this was Tsunashige’s estate and Kirishima azaleas were transplanted from Tatebayashi; in the Edo period the hill was a noted spot called Tsutsuji-ga-oka. The present azaleas are 3,000 bushes planted after the postwar restoration of the shrine buildings, and the Bunkyo Azalea Festival has been held since 1970 (Showa 45). The 2026 festival ran from April 1 to 30, and because about 100 varieties bloom at different times, the flowers can be enjoyed throughout the festival.

The Azalea Garden is open only during the festival, with a donation-based admission of 500–1,000 yen (varies by date; free for children 12 and under; as of 2026). Holidays tend to be crowded, so weekdays are easier for walking around. Peak bloom varies by year, so check the Bunkyo Ward Tourism Association or Nezu Shrine’s social media before you go. From the higher ground inside the garden, you can see the Romon Gate from an angle not visible from below.

4. Senbon Torii (Otome Inari & Komagome Inari) — Vermilion Gates and Two Subsidiary Shrines

The approach to Otome Inari Shrine is lined with donated vermilion torii gates running up the slope, known as the Senbon Torii (Thousand Torii Gates). The actual number is well short of a thousand.

Otome Inari Shrine is built in the butai-zukuri (stage) style overlooking a pond, and its sanctuary sits inside a hollowed-out cavity; old records also call it “Ana Inari” (Cave Inari). Nearby is the placenta mound of Tokugawa Ienobu, where his afterbirth was buried. The other subsidiary shrine, Komagome Inari, was the guardian shrine of this land when it was Tsunashige’s estate, before Nezu Shrine moved here, and the Tokugawa hollyhock crest still remains on its roof.

5. Sacred Grove and Natural Surroundings — Shrine Woodland and Stone Monuments

The grounds are surrounded by the shrine’s sacred woodland, including the “Wish-Granting Kaya Tree,” said to be home to a white snake that serves the deity. Stone monuments are scattered around: the Mori Ogai inscription water basin, which reuses the pedestal of a captured artillery shell Ogai donated to commemorate victory in the Russo-Japanese War, and a Koshin tower and Sae-no-Okami monument moved here when nearby roads were widened. The “Maihime no Ie,” Ogai’s former residence where he wrote The Dancing Girl, has been relocated to the shrine and can be visited on weekends and holidays only, for 300 yen.

Nearby Sightseeing Spots

Yanaka & Sendagi Area — Shitamachi Strolling in “Yanesen”

Nezu Shrine is part of the area known as “Yanesen” — Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi. Walking north from the shrine brings you to Yanaka Ginza shopping street, lined with shops selling croquettes, yakitori, and other snacks to eat as you walk.

Beyond it, Yanaka Cemetery holds the graves of notable figures including Shibusawa Eiichi, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, and Yokoyama Taikan, and is also known for its cherry blossoms. Unlike large commercial areas such as Ameyoko, this is a quiet neighborhood where temples and small shops are scattered among homes.

Ueno Area — Museums and Galleries in Ueno Park

About a 15-minute walk southeast of Nezu Shrine, Ueno Park is home to the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art (a World Heritage Site), the National Museum of Nature and Science, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and Ueno Zoo. At Shinobazu Pond, lotus flowers bloom in summer around the Bentendo hall. Ameyoko Shopping Street is also within walking distance of Ueno.

Yushima Tenmangu (Yushima Tenjin) — The God of Learning and Plum Blossom Haven

About a 15-minute walk south of Nezu Shrine, or about 2 minutes from Yushima Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, Yushima Tenmangu enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, the god of learning, and is crowded with students praying for exam success during entrance-exam season. It has been known for its plum blossoms since the Edo period, and a Plum Festival is held every year in February and March. Combining Yushima Tenjin’s plums in February–March with Nezu Shrine’s azaleas in April makes for a seasonal flower tour of Bunkyo Ward. Yasukuni Shrine is in the same central Tokyo area and can be added to a shrine-visiting itinerary.

Access Information

From Nezu Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line): About a 5-minute walk from Exit 1.

From Todaimae Station (Tokyo Metro Namboku Line): About a 5-minute walk.

From Sendagi Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line): About a 5-minute walk. Convenient if you are combining your visit with a stroll through Yanaka and Sendagi.

From Hakusan Station (Toei Mita Line): About a 10-minute walk.

From JR Ueno Station or Nippori Station: About a 20-minute walk from Ueno Station, or about 25 minutes via Ueno Park and Yanaka Cemetery. From Nippori Station, about a 20-minute walk via Yanaka Ginza.

By Car: According to the shrine’s website, there is a paid parking lot on the north approach side and a free parking area within the grounds for worshippers (parking within the grounds is not available during the Azalea Festival). Roads around the shrine are congested during the Azalea Festival, so public transportation is the safer choice.

The amulet office (goshuin) is open from 9:30 until 16:30–17:30 depending on the month (from 9:00 on Sundays and holidays) (as of September 2026). Please check the official website for the latest information.

Conclusion

At Nezu Shrine you can see, in one visit, a complete set of seven Important Cultural Property buildings completed in 1706 and, in April, the Azalea Garden and Senbon Torii. Combined with a walk through Yanaka and Sendagi or the museums of Ueno, it makes a half-day to full-day itinerary.

Frequently Asked Questions