- Anime
- Lucky Star
- Area
- Kuki, Saitama
- Sources
- 6 official pages
A large, old shrine that the Saitama tourism board calls the oldest grand shrine in the Kanto region. Kuki City names it as the center of the Lucky Star pilgrimage. It is an 8-minute walk from Washinomiya Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line. Kuki City's page says a life-size figure of Tsukasa Hiiragi was installed beside the Washinomiya post office in December 2022.
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Please be a considerate guest: keep your voice down, keep paths clear and leave the place as you found it.
Festivals through the year
The shrine publishes a calendar of main ceremonies. On February 14 at 10:00 a.m., a bean-throwing rite called Toshikoshi (also known as Washi no Toshikoshi) takes place, and lucky beans are handed out. On July 31 at 10:00 a.m., the Nagoshi ceremony has visitors pass through a ring and send paper figures down a river to pray for good health. In December, on the first Day of the Rooster, the shrine holds the Otori festival, where lucky charms for business prosperity line the approach.
Kagura dance at the shrine
The shrine preserves a form of sacred dance called kagura, designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The shrine says its first written mention is a 1251 entry in the medieval chronicle Azuma Kagami, and that the present twelve-piece set is estimated to have been assembled roughly 270 to 290 years ago. Most of the shrine's main ceremonies on its calendar list a kagura offering.
Visiting and local activities
The Saitama tourism board lists a walk of about 8 minutes from Washinomiya Station, or a bus from Higashi-Washinomiya Station on the JR Utsunomiya Line to the Washinomiya Jinja Iriguchi stop, then about 1 minute on foot. Parking for about 60 cars is available, and the shrine office takes inquiries from 9:00 to 16:00. The shrine asks visitors not to fly drones, conduct commercial activity or gatherings without permission on the grounds.
Kuki City also notes a digital stamp rally run by the local chamber of commerce from December 31, 2025 to December 30, 2026, where a purchase of about 500 yen or more at a participating shop earns one stamp. Lucky Star street lamp flags hang along the road from the east exit of Washinomiya Station toward the shrine.
Station map