English Reading: Miyamasu Mitake Jinja
English Translation: Shrine Profit Tall Mountain Shrine
Size: Medium
Deity: Mountain
Wolf Count: 2
First Visit: 22-Mar-2018
Location: Tokyo-Shibuya
Address: 1 Chome-12-16 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0002
And now, for a bit of contrast, a Shrine that does not have fox guardians, but wolf guardians. That is a real rarity, because in Japan most Shrines have Komainu (Guard Dogs) as guardians, with foxes being the most common exception. To the south of Japan (mostly Kyushu and Okinawa) Shii-Saa (Guard Lions) commonly replace the Komainu, and foxes are less common there. Other animals, meanwhile, are absolute exceptions, so I am going to point them out whenever I come along them.
Also, this Shrine is located on the top of a two-story building, with a wide stairwell leading up one side, which already makes this remarkable in its own right, since it is not exactly a small shrine either. Shrines to mountain deities, by the way, are quite common in Japan, and usually venerate highly local deities. It could also explain why wolves watch over this Shrine, since one word for "wolf" in Japan is Yamainu ("山犬" Mountain Dog). Sadly, the Japanese Wolf was systematically hunted to extinction during the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century.
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