Imposing statue of guardian dog with fiery-red autumn leaves in the background (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

Hakone Shrine: Divine God of Luck

Holy origin of nine-headed dragon god of Lake Ashi

Takako Sakamoto   - 1 min read

I visited Hakone in late November in 2012 to take photos of Mt. Fuji. On the previous day I took photos in the Izu area, moved to Hakone, and stayed at a hotel for the night beside Lake Ashi. The next day I climbed to the mountain pass on the Tsubaki Line, but unfortunately, it was overcast and the top of Mt. Fuji was totally covered with deep clouds. Therefore, I had no choice but to change my plan (I often have to change my travel plans since my sole purpose is to take scenery photos). Although the visit to Hakone Shrine wasn't my original plan, I was glad that I visited here. This shrine was long respected and favored by samurai families. It is also called 'Kuzuryu (Nine-headed Dragon) Shrine'; the name derived from the legend that the deity of this shrine calmed down the raging dragon god of Lake Ashi.

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Takako Sakamoto

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...