Tourist Attraction

Japan’s largest Mikoshi

Tomioka Hachiman Shrine originally had three units of Mikoshi (portable shrine) that were donated by Kinokuniya Bunzaemon in the Genroku period. However, all of them were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and so there was no Mikoshi for many years.
Japan's largest Mikoshi is Gohonsha Ichinomiya Mikoshi, which was dedicated at the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in 1991, is approximately 4.4 meters tall and weighs in at 4.5 tons. It is adorned with precious stones and pure gold, and the diamond eyes of phoenix and stone‐carved guardian dogs are gleaming and so luxurious.
However, Gohonsha Ichinomiya Mikoshi is too large and heavy to be carried, so Ninomiya Mikoshi was made in 1997, and can be carried on the shoulders by festival participants. Ninomiya Mikoshi is smaller than Ichinomiya Mikoshi, but still a large one with a height of 3.3 meters and a weight of 2 tons.