Keio Inari Shrine

2017/05/05

Are you aware of the small shrine, the Keio Inari Shrine, located to the east of the East Building on the Keio University Shinanomachi Campus?

Few things related to Shinto gods, Buddhas, or religion can be found on any of Keio University's campuses, making the enshrinement of such a shrine quite unusual.

According to its history, after the Shinanomachi campus was established, around 1922 (Taisho 11), a series of strange events occurred: people with the title of director in the School of Medicine died one after another, and a divine beast would appear night after night in the dreams of those on duty, as if making an appeal. This caused great unease among the people. After much deliberation, they consulted a certain fortune-teller in Asakusa, who gave them an oracle: "There is a deity by the pond (around the north side of the Education and Research Building) who wishes to be revealed to the world, so you must enshrine it." Although skeptical, they excavated the site and discovered fragments of a small shrine, a water basin, and other related artifacts. Volunteers then built and donated a shrine on the current site, after which the strange occurrences reportedly stopped, bringing relief to all.

During the Edo period, the site of the Shinanomachi Campus was lined with residences. Unfortunately, the details of that era are not clear, but the water basin is inscribed with the year 1852 (Kaei 5), leading to the presumption that these are the remains of a decayed shrine that was once located within one of the residences. In the Meiji period, the site became an army training ground, and in 1917 (Taisho 6), it was sold by the army to Keio University, which has occupied it ever since.

After the Keio Inari Shrine was built, the Hatsu-uma festival was held every year. In the past, it seems the festival was celebrated on a grand scale, with local residents also participating. Now, a Shinto priest is invited once a year in March to quietly conduct a ceremony praying for the safety of Keio University.

The shrine burned down completely during World War II and was rebuilt in 1953 (Showa 28). The current structure was then built in 1963 (Showa 38) with donations from volunteers. The torii gate was also rebuilt in 1979 (Showa 54) after the previous wooden one had decayed.

According to issue 24 of the Hospital News from 1984 (Showa 59), rebuilding the torii gate at the time was difficult due to budget constraints, so a staff member reportedly bought relatively inexpensive steel pipes and constructed it.

At that time, this staff member's child was scheduled to undergo a risky heart operation, which was ultimately successful. The article states that the torii gate is imbued with the divine favor of Inari Okami and a father's love.

Although the Keio Inari Shrine is not in a very prominent location, one can sometimes see people praying there regularly, as well as individuals who appear to be students preparing for entrance exams and hospital inpatients.

It has been nearly 100 years since the School of Medicine was established on the Shinanomachi Campus, and the Keio Inari Shrine, though changing its form, has been present for almost the same amount of time. I hope that it will continue to stand quietly and watch over Keio University for years to come.

(Hiroshi Watanabe, Chief, Engineering Section, Office of Facilities and Property Management)