In 1455 the fifth and last of the Kamakura-based Ashikaga deputy shōguns (Kantō kubō), Shigeuji (足利成), also prayed at the shrine for victory in war; the documentation accompanying this has been preserved at the shrine ever since and has been designated a cultural asset by Minato-ku.  This means that it survived the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki (Meireki-no-Taika), which is estimated to have destroyed 60%-70% of Edo and claimed about 100,000 lives, comparable to the numbers lost in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the 1945 firebombing of the city.  In Edo times Karasumori Inari comprised, along with Yanagimori Jinja (柳森神社) and Sugimori Jinja (椙森神社), the Edo San Mori (江戸三森, lit. Edo Three Shrine Groves). In 1872 the jinja was ranked as a Sonsha, and the following year its name was changed from Karasumori Inari to Karasumori Jinja. The current structure was completed in December 1971.

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Description

2 mins on foot from the west exit of Shinbashi Station. Nestled in the busy shopping/entertainment streets around the station this is another urban shrine par excellence. Unlike Meotogi Jinja in Shinjuku this shrine was specifically designed to fit into its confined space and the design is unique. The architect was Kōri Kikuo (郡 菊夫, 1957-2004), and this shrine seems to be the work he is best remembered for.