Sacred sites in Japan
Shinto

Susanō Shrine

Shinto worship and living sacred practice at Susanō Shrine

Arakawa City, Tokyo, Japan

Plan this visit

Practical context before you go

Duration

Allow enough time to avoid rushing worship, but do not remain in a way that blocks circulation or a service.

Access

6-chōme-60-1 Minamisenju, Arakawa City, Tokyo 116-0003. Confirm the route, accessibility, opening status, and event-day restrictions through the official site and exact map record before travel.

Etiquette

Pause at the torii, use the purification basin when it is open, and approach the worship hall without blocking the central path. At the offering box, visitors commonly bow twice, clap twice, offer a silent prayer, and bow once; posted shrine guidance takes precedence.

At a glance

Coordinates
35.7371, 139.7961
Type
Shinto Shrine
Suggested duration
Allow enough time to avoid rushing worship, but do not remain in a way that blocks circulation or a service.
Access
6-chōme-60-1 Minamisenju, Arakawa City, Tokyo 116-0003. Confirm the route, accessibility, opening status, and event-day restrictions through the official site and exact map record before travel.

Pilgrim tips

  • Wear clean, modest clothing. Step around sacred ropes, barriers, and prepared ritual areas.
  • Photograph only from public areas and never during rites without permission. Ask before photographing worshippers, attendants, or the interior of the sanctuary.
  • Do not improvise ritual, promise spiritual results, interrupt prayer, or handle devotional objects without invitation.

Pilgrim glossary

Torii
The traditional Japanese gate marking the entrance to a Shinto sacred area.
Mikoshi
A portable Shinto shrine carried during festivals to bring a deity into the community.
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Overview

Susanō Shrine (素盞雄神社) is an active Shinto sacred place in Tokyo. The record is grounded in an exact Google Place ID, nearby coordinates, institutional or reference evidence, and a rights-cleared image of the site. Visit as a guest of a worshipping community: observe posted boundaries, keep rites and prayer unobstructed, and verify changing access information with the institution.

Susano-ojinja Shrine is a shrine located in Minamisenju, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo. Locally, it is called Senju Soshio Shrine, Minamisenju Soshio Shrine, or Otennousama. It is a former hometown shrine and is the general guardian of 61 towns, including Minamisenju, Arakawa Ward, Mikawashima, Machiya, and Minowa, Taito Ward. The annual festival ``Tenno Matsuri'' is known for its mikoshi (portable shrine) movement, which is rare even in Tokyo. Susano Okami (Susano Okami) – Originally Gozu Tenno Asuka Okami – originally Asuka Gongen Konohana no Sakuya Bime – A substitute deity for the Shin-eimenzuikokeiseki, the object of worship where the enshrined deity descended. On the night of April 8, 795 (Enryaku 14), Kokuchin, a disciple of Enryaku Kozumi, gave an oracle, saying, ``We are the Suenyu Okami and the Asuka Okami. Pilgrim Map presents this site through documented identity and living religious practice, not through star ratings or promises of transformation. Architecture and historical associations can help orient a visit, but they do not replace the meaning made by worship, teaching, memorial practice, service, and care. Visitors should distinguish institutional tradition from independently documented history, especially where a foundation narrative, miraculous account, political memory, or popular origin claim is involved. Approach slowly, read the room before acting, and allow regular worshippers to set the pace.

Context and lineage

Susano-ojinja Shrine is a shrine located in Minamisenju, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo. Locally, it is called Senju Soshio Shrine, Minamisenju Soshio Shrine, or Otennousama. It is a former hometown shrine and is the general guardian of 61 towns, including Minamisenju, Arakawa Ward, Mikawashima, Machiya, and Minowa, Taito Ward. The annual festival ``Tenno Matsuri'' is known for its mikoshi (portable shrine) movement, which is rare even in Tokyo. Susano Okami (Susano Okami) – Originally Gozu Tenno Asuka Okami – originally Asuka Gongen Konohana no Sakuya Bime – A substitute deity for the Shin-eimenzuikokeiseki, the object of worship where the enshrined deity descended. On the night of April 8, 795 (Enryaku 14), Kokuchin, a disciple of Enryaku Kozumi, gave an oracle, saying, ``We are the Suenyu Okami and the Asuka Okami.

Susanō Shrine belongs to the living Shinto context documented by its institutional and exact-entity sources.

Why this place is sacred

A map can show the threshold of Susanō Shrine; it cannot determine what the place means for every devotee. Quiet attention is more responsible than assigning a single mood, energy, or spiritual effect. Notice how people prepare to enter, where they pause, and which spaces remain protected, while avoiding imitation or intrusion.

The cited sources identify Susanō Shrine as an exact Shinto institution and provide the bounded historical context summarized here.

The site's present form reflects continuity as well as rebuilding, institutional change, and the work of successive communities. Specific claims are limited to the cited record.

Traditions and practice

Pause at the torii, use the purification basin when it is open, and approach the worship hall without blocking the central path. At the offering box, visitors commonly bow twice, clap twice, offer a silent prayer, and bow once; posted shrine guidance takes precedence.

Current practice and participation at Susanō Shrine follow the institution's own guidance. Do not infer permission from what another visitor does.

Notice the threshold, the order of movement, and the care given to sacred objects without turning observation into performance.

Shinto

Active

Susanō Shrine is an active Shinto place in Tokyo. Its sacred meaning belongs first to the worshipping community, its documented history, and its continuing care—not to popularity metrics.

Pause at the torii, use the purification basin when it is open, and approach the worship hall without blocking the central path. At the offering box, visitors commonly bow twice, clap twice, offer a silent prayer, and bow once; posted shrine guidance takes precedence.

Experience and perspectives

Begin with the site's present threshold rather than a checklist. Put away conversation and devices when worship is underway, yield to people making offerings or attending services, and accept closures without pressing for access. A respectful visit may be brief. Its value does not depend on witnessing a ceremony, entering every building, or producing photographs.

Use the official site and posted notices to distinguish public grounds from worship, residential, administrative, memorial, or conservation spaces.

Read Susanō Shrine through its living Shinto community alongside documented history, architecture, and urban context.

Institutional and exact-entity sources establish identity and bound the historical account. Unresolved or contested claims remain explicitly attributed.

According to its tradition, sacred meaning is encountered through worship, teaching, remembrance, and the relationships sustained by the community.

No paranormal, medical, therapeutic, or guaranteed transformative effect is claimed.

Visit planning

6-chōme-60-1 Minamisenju, Arakawa City, Tokyo 116-0003. Confirm the route, accessibility, opening status, and event-day restrictions through the official site and exact map record before travel.

No lodging recommendation is made; use current, independent accessibility and accommodation information.

Pause at the torii, use the purification basin when it is open, and approach the worship hall without blocking the central path. At the offering box, visitors commonly bow twice, clap twice, offer a silent prayer, and bow once; posted shrine guidance takes precedence.

Wear clean, modest clothing. Step around sacred ropes, barriers, and prepared ritual areas.

Photograph only from public areas and never during rites without permission. Ask before photographing worshippers, attendants, or the interior of the sanctuary.

Use only offering and donation channels authorized by Susanō Shrine; never leave substitute objects or food without permission.

Respect barriers, private rooms, protected fabric, sacred interiors, and any temporary restriction announced by staff.

Plan your visit

Address

日本、〒116-0003 東京都荒川区南千住6丁目60−1

Hours

月曜日: 6時00分~17時00分火曜日: 6時00分~17時00分水曜日: 6時00分~17時00分木曜日: 6時00分~17時00分金曜日: 6時00分~17時00分土曜日: 6時00分~17時00分日曜日: 6時00分~17時00分

Hours, fees, and access can change — verify on the official source before you travel. Practical details last checked Aug 2026.

Nearby sacred places

References

Sources consulted when researching this page. Independent verification by readers is welcome.

  1. 01素盞雄神社(すさのお神社)素盞雄大神と飛鳥大神が御祭神|TOP素盞雄神社high-reliability
  2. 02素盞雄神社 (荒川区)Japanese Wikipedia contributors
  3. 03Wikidata entity Q11605642Wikidata contributors
  4. 04Susanō Shrine Google Maps place recordGoogle
  5. 05File:Susano jinnjya.JPGWikimedia Commons contributors

Key questions

What pilgrims usually ask

Why is Susanō Shrine considered sacred?
Visit Susanō Shrine with verified historical context, living Shinto significance, practical access notes, respectful etiquette, and cited sources.
What should I wear at Susanō Shrine?
Wear clean, modest clothing. Step around sacred ropes, barriers, and prepared ritual areas.
Can I take photos at Susanō Shrine?
Photograph only from public areas and never during rites without permission. Ask before photographing worshippers, attendants, or the interior of the sanctuary.
How long should I spend at Susanō Shrine?
Allow enough time to avoid rushing worship, but do not remain in a way that blocks circulation or a service.
How do you visit Susanō Shrine?
6-chōme-60-1 Minamisenju, Arakawa City, Tokyo 116-0003. Confirm the route, accessibility, opening status, and event-day restrictions through the official site and exact map record before travel.
What offerings are appropriate at Susanō Shrine?
Use only offering and donation channels authorized by Susanō Shrine; never leave substitute objects or food without permission.
What etiquette should visitors follow at Susanō Shrine?
Pause at the torii, use the purification basin when it is open, and approach the worship hall without blocking the central path. At the offering box, visitors commonly bow twice, clap twice, offer a silent prayer, and bow once; posted shrine guidance takes precedence.
What is the history of Susanō Shrine?
Susano-ojinja Shrine is a shrine located in Minamisenju, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo. Locally, it is called Senju Soshio Shrine, Minamisenju Soshio Shrine, or Otennousama. It is a former hometown shrine and is the general guardian of 61 towns, including Minamisenju, Arakawa Ward, Mikawashima, Machiya, and Minowa, Taito Ward. The annual festival ``Tenno Matsuri'' is known for its mikoshi (portable shrine) movement, which is rare even in Tokyo. Susano Okami (Susano Okami) – Originally Gozu Tenno Asuka Okami – originally Asuka Gongen Konohana no Sakuya Bime – A substitute deity for the Shin-eimenzuikokeiseki, the object of worship where the enshrined deity descended. On the night of April 8, 795 (Enryaku 14), Kokuchin, a disciple of Enryaku Kozumi, gave an oracle, saying, ``We are the Suenyu Okami and the Asuka Okami.