Hatonomori Hachiman Shrine

A shrine in Sendagaya said to have been founded by Jikaku Daishi in 860. Its name is said to come from the sight of countless white doves flying out of a forest where auspicious clouds were rising, and it is revered locally as the guardian shrine of Sendagaya.

Fujizuka mounds were built in various places during the mid-Edo period, when worship of Mt. Fuji was widespread, for people who found it difficult to make a pilgrimage to Mt. Fuji. This Fujizuka is the oldest surviving one in Tokyo, and visitors can make a ritual climb from the trailhead to the summit, where lava from Mt. Fuji is placed, much like climbing the real mountain. The sacred ginkgo tree, which withstood the fires of the Great Tokyo Air Raid and escaped destruction, is also worth seeing.

Shrine items such as dove-themed omikuji fortunes and amulets, inspired by the origin of the shrine’s name, are popular. Because the Japan Shogi Association’s Shogi Hall is located in Sendagaya, the shrine also has deep ties to shogi. Within the grounds is a Shogi-do hall that enshrines a large shogi piece about 1.2 meters tall. Amulets and ema plaques are also available for prayers to improve shogi skills and luck in competition, and many shogi players, both professional and amateur, visit to pray here.