Kumano Shrine

The Jujisha Kumano Shrine is said to have been enshrined by Suzuki Kuro, who was called Nakano Chojin during the Onaga period (1394-1428) during the Muromachi period, when he transferred the Twelve Gongens from his hometown of Kumano Sanzan in Kishu (one theory is that Watanabe Kobei, who pioneered the area, came to this area from Kishu during the Kumano Rebellion during the Tenmon and Eiroku years (1532-69) and enshrined Kumano Gongen). The Suzuki family was a family that served as a shrine official of the Kumano Sanzan in Kishu Fujishiro, but because of Minamoto Yoshitsune's obedience, they were defeated in various parts of the eastern part of the country from Oshu Hiraizumi, and came to live in Nakano (present-day Nakano Sakagami and Nishi-Shinjuku area) during the Kuro dynasty. In addition to pioneering the area, Kuro enshrined the womb of King Wakaichi from Kumano Sanzan, the god of his birthplace. After that, the Suzuki family's fortune rose and they became wealthy families called Nakano Choja, so it is said that in the 10th year of Onaga (1403), they enshrined all 12 gongens of Kumano Sanzan. In the Edo period, it was called the Kumano Twelve Gongensha, and the shrine was maintained and restored several times by the shogunate. In addition, during the Kyoho year (1716-1735), the eighth shogun Yoshimune took the opportunity to visit the temple for falconry, and the surrounding scenery with its waterfalls and ponds became popular as a scenic spot in the western suburbs of Edo, and many literati and ink visitors also visited. After the Meiji Restoration, the shrine was renamed Kumano Shrine with the current Kushi-Mikino Ōkami and Ijinami Ōkami as shrine deities, and it continues to this day. The area of Ujikocho is the area around Nishi-Shinjuku and Shinjuku Station, as well as Kabukicho, and is the general guardian of Shinjuku.