Mikoshi Ascend the Mita Hilltop Square

2017/08/01

Image: President Torii, Vice-Presidents Takahashi, Yakushiji, and Yukawa welcoming the mikoshi in front of the Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration)

Kasuga Shrine is located next to the Maboroshi no Mon (currently the East Gate) on the Mita Campus. The shrine has performed Shinto rituals for the construction of buildings on the Mita Campus and has also served as a practice ground for Keio University extracurricular student groups such as the Take-no-kai and the Karuta Club. Before the completion of the East Building, parts of the shrine were adjacent to the slope of the Maboroshi no Mon. Kasuga Shrine holds its annual grand festival for three days in early September every year. On the final day, neighborhood associations (there are currently 11 parishioner groups) wear their own unique happi coats and carry mikoshi (portable shrines) through the streets of Shiba, Mita, and other areas. On Mita-dori, it is possible to capture both Tokyo Tower and a mikoshi in a single photograph. It is also known as a popular photography spot for early autumn festivals.

On Sunday, September 6, 1998, mikoshi from eight neighborhood associations (Mita Ikko-kai, Kita-Shikoku, Daimachi, Toyooka, Mita Doyu-kai, Tsunamachi, Keinan-cho, and Shiba 5-chome) gathered at the Mita Hilltop Square. This was the year when the construction of the East Research Building (now the East Building) was planned for completion in April 2000 at the site of the Maboroshi no Mon, with construction scheduled to begin at the end of the year. It had been decided that the Maboroshi no Mon and the following cobblestone slope, which had remained unchanged since Keio University first established its residence in Mita, would disappear. Although the stone gateposts of the Maboroshi no Mon themselves were to be relocated, the loss of this historic landscape—immortalized by Daigaku Horiguchi in the poem "Passing through the Maboroshi no Mon, we stand upon the Hill of Wisdom"—was a shock not only to Keio University alumni but also to the neighborhood associations of Mita.

As a result, a gathering of mikoshi on the hilltop was planned. Shortly after 9:00 a.m. on September 6, President Yasuhiko Torii, the Vice-Presidents, and representatives from Kasuga Shrine and the federation of neighborhood associations took a commemorative photo with the Maboroshi no Mon in the background. Afterward, the mikoshi ascended the slope one after another, and approximately 600 people, including children, gathered in the front yard of the Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration). Each mikoshi took a turn performing a spirited chant and dance in front of the President, who served sacred sake and offered words of appreciation, saying, "Please continue to guide Keio University and Keio students." After spending some time on the hilltop, the mikoshi descended the slope next to the Keio University Library (New Building), performed one last time in the square in front of the Main Gate, and headed out into the city. Although this was a one-time event, it became a memorable day for both the people of the town and Keio University.

(Atsuko Ishiguro, Office of Communications and Public Relations)