Shiogama Jinja Shrine and Shiwahiko Jinja Shrine 鹽竈神社と志波彦神社

Shiwahiko Jinja is dedicated to Shiwahiko no Kami, the god of agriculture, who is also the guardian deity of the Shiogama area. The lavish black- and vermillion-lacquered main shrine building was rebuilt in 1938.

Visitors approach the shrines by climbing a 202-step stone stairway, lined with stone lanterns and flanked by a thick grove of cryptomeria (sugi) trees. The stairs end at the stately Zuishinmon Gate (erected in the 1700s), which leads into the main complex.

The shrine grounds cover around 30,000 square meters of a hill overlooking the city of Shiogama and the islands of Matsushima Bay. In addition to 14 shrine buildings designated Important Cultural Properties, the grounds include serene Japanese-style gardens and around 300 cherry trees of 40 different varieties, including many Shiogama zakura, which are designated Natural Monuments of Japan. The fluffy blooms of these double-flowered cherry trees appear in late April to early May.

The shrines celebrate several festivals throughout the year. In the spring, the cherry blossoms are illuminated after dark, and during the Hote Matsuri festival, 16 men carry a 1-ton mikoshi portable shrine down the 202 steep stone steps. For the summertime Minato Matsuri (Port Festival), mikoshi for both shrines are loaded onto elaborate dragon- and phoenix-shaped boats and then floated around Matsushima Bay. During the Hatsuhohiki Harvest Festival, held on November 23, the plaza in front of Shiogama Jinja is filled with barrels of rice, huge fish, and vegetables, in gratitude for a bountiful catch and harvest. In early February, the shrines host a massive Setsubun Festival, with the bean-throwing custom (mamemaki), said to drive away evil, that marks the arrival of spring.