it/=Seven Lucky Gods:
A New Year's Walk
S apanese visit a set of designated Shinto shrines
or Buddhist temples to gain merit. One popularsS
S New Year's pilgrimage is to honor the Seven
Lucky Gods during the first week, which ensures afortuitous year.
ln Tokyo alone, there are more than two-dozen
Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimages. One of the oldest is
located at Mukojima, the area across the Sumida
River from Asakusa. Starting at Horikiri Station on
the Tobu lsezaki Line and finishing at Asakusa, this5km route is off the usual tourist trail, but can becompleted in 2-3 hours-affording a peek at thekind of shitamachi neighborhood that is rapidly
disappearing from Tokyo.

At each stop, lou can commemorate yourpilgrimage by placing a stamp on a special shikishi,a square of white cardboard that you buy at thefirst stop, or purchasing a figurine of the relevantgod (Y300 each).
As you leave Horikiri Station, cross the waterway
using the blue walkover bridge and follow thetrain tracks for about 500m. Turning right, you'll
encounter the entry to Tamonji on the right after a54 IACCJ Journal / December 2007

few meters, set back from the road. Tamonji is hostto Bishamonten, the god of war and warriors. Just
past its thatched roof gate are two intriguing relics
from the fire bombings of World War ll: a charred
bit of tree left from April 1945 and a melted,
twisted l-bar from the Asakusa Playhouse, which
was destroyed in March 1945.
Tamonji to Shirahige Jinja (the second stop) is thelongest distance between pilgrimage points-about
1.75km. You'll turn right as you leave Tamonji. Afterabout 200 meters make a dogleg to the left andcontinue to the end of this road, about 900 meters.
Go right to the main road, Bokutei Dori, turn left
and walk about 500m to a traffic light, "shirahige
Jinja." The shrine will be on the left.
At Shirahige Jinja, you can pay your respects
to Jurojin, the god of longevity. Jurojin is always
depicted as an old man with a long white beard,
which makes it apt to find him here since the word
shirahige means "white beard."
There are two entrances to this shrine. You will
leave by the one leading away from the main
shrine building, past all the other structures on theBy Vicki L. Beyer /Classic Journeys

ffin T,*kym m$mffiffi* qfoffirffi ffiflffi trffi#flffi qhffiffi €qrum-#*mffiffi%mwmsre LruckH ffim#m ffi$$ffir$rcruffiffiffi%.

shrine grounds, and turn left when you reach theroad. Follow this narrow road for about 150m; theentrance to Hyakka-en will be on your left.
ln one corner of Hyakka-en-the name means"hundred-flower garden "god-is a shrine to theFukurokuju. The name literally means "fortune,happiness and longevity"; the god is known for
his ability to perform miracles. lt's recommended
you spend a little time strolling through the 3-acregarden, the only flower garden from the Edo
Period (1503-1868) remaining in Tokyo.
As you leave Hyakka-en, turn left; after 50m,

make a right and proceed for about 125m before
turning left where the road narrows. lt's about
60m before you cross a larger road, doglegging to
the right, and continue for about 250m until theroad splits to go around a large brown building.
You'll go up the incline to the right and be backon Bokutei Dori, where you go left and follow thestreet for about 250m until you reach a traffic light,"Children's baseball grounds." Turning left and,after about 75m, turning right at the traffic light,"Mukojima 5," you'll see the entrance to Chomeiji
on the right.
Chomeiji harbors Benten, the only female of theSeven Lucky Gods. Often pictured holding a lute,
Benten is the deity of music and fine arts, and hershrines are usually associated with water, Legend
has it that lemitsu, the third Tokugawa Shogun, wascured of a stomach malady when he drank waterfrom the well at Chomeiji.
Just 50m down the road from Chomeiji is Kofukuji,a Chinese-style temple built in 1673, with a uniquegate worth noting. Kofukuji is home to Hotei, thegod of happiness and contentment. Big-bellied
Hotei dispenses gifts from his treasure bag, a bit

the kitchen, while Ebisu is the god of commerce,fishermen and good fortune. Daikoku's bales. of rice and Ebisu's fish are dead giveaways.
You have now completed your pilgrimage.
lf you've been purchasing figurines, besure also to buy the boat on which they sit(Y1,000). lt is believed that the gods sail on
their treasure craft into the harbor every New
Year's Eve. Your collection of the gods sitting
on this vessel will make a fine souvenir.
Throughout this pilgrimage you've been
following the Sumida River. At the completionof your sojourn, why not walk over to theriver fiust behind Mimeguri Jinja) and stroll
along the riverbank for about a kilometerto Asakusa? Here you can join the crowds at
Sensoji Temple, or catch the waterbus down
the Sumida to Hamarikyu Park or Hinode Pier.
Whatever you do, it's bound to be lucky!
ACCJ Governor Vicki L. Beyer is also a freelance travelwriter. She has written a guidebook to Kamakura, Ten
Temples on Two Wheels (soon, Scribblers Publishing).

like Santa Claus does.
From Kofukuji, it's just another 300m toMimeguri Jinja, the last stop on the pilgrimage.
Although the central structure was built in the1850s, the shrine itself is much older. Various subshrines and stone markers decorate the grounds.
Two of the Seven Lucky Gods are enshrined here:
Daikoku and Ebisu. Thought to be father andson, Daikoku is the god of wealth, farmers and:ig:rZ:tZ.

i.lJ

F:<CL

December 2007 I ACCJ Journal I 65