History

Said to have been founded by Minamoto Yorinobu in what is now Kasumigaseki sometime during the Kankō Period (1004～1012); the deities of the Iwashimizu Hachiman-Gū, one of the 22 Shrines, were enshrined through the kanjō process. Roughly five centuries later the shrine was moved to its present location when Ōta Dōkan began work on Edo Castle.In 1600, Sugen-in (崇源院), more popularly known as Oeyo (於江与), the legal wife of the second Tokugawa Shōgun, Hidetada; chose the shrine to pray for the success of her husband and father-in-law, Ieyasu, at the upcoming Battle of Sekigahara. She apparently badly wanted the shrine to be rebuilt, and out of respect to her the decision to do so was taken after she passed away in 1626, although it was 1634 before the work was completed. Along with this, five shintai, statues of Hachiman. Emperor Chūai, Empress Jingū, Fudō-Myōō, Aizen-Myōō, were dedicated. These were unfortunately destroyed by fire along with the shrine in