#243 Hajikama Jinja

Izu Oshima, Tokyo

The shrine is located in the Izumizu district in the northwestern part of Izu Oshima, surrounded by a grove of cedar trees and moss-covered stone steps that create a serene and peaceful atmosphere whenever you visit. The present shrine was built in the Showa period (1926-1989), and there is a legend of Hiimi-sama in the Izumitsu district where the shrine is located. The legend tells of 25 young islanders who killed a bad government official, built a boat out of a giant tree on the shrine grounds, and fled. But they were refused to land one of the islands nearby, and it disappeared. The story is still told that the spirits return every year on January 24 and that one should not look at the sea on that night.