Tsukudo Shrine and Taira no Masakado's Grave [Tokyo]

Tsukudo Shrine and Taira no Masakado’s Grave [Tokyo]

2025年7月21日

【Tsukudo Shrine summary】

Tsukudo Shrine was built in 940 (Tenkei 3). It was originally built as “Tsukudo Myojin” in the village of Tsukudo in Edo (near present-day Shomonzuka) to worship the head of Taira no Masakado. Since then, the shrine has been relocated and renamed several times to its current location, where the head vat said to contain the head (skull and hair) of Taira no Masakado and portraits of him were destroyed by fire during the Tokyo Air Raid of 1945. In the past, the shrine was also called “Tayasu Myojin” and was one of the three shrines of Edo along with Hie Shrine and Kanda Myojin.

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Hie-jinja Shrine and Sanno Inari Shrine [Tokyo]

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Kanda Shrine (Kanda Myojin) [Tokyo]

Today, the main deity is Amatsuhikohoninigi no Mikoto, and the shrine also enshrines Taira no Masakado and Sugawara no Michizane. Taira no Masakado is known as the god of martial arts and is also the clan deity of the Nippon Budokan.

【Taira no Masakado？】

Taira no Masamado was a military commander active in the Kanto region during the mid-Heian period. It is said that 1,100 years ago, the Kanto region was unexplored land, and it was Masakado who worked with farmers to cultivate the wasteland. Anticipating a new era, Shogun facilitated the development of the wasteland by managing horse farms and developing farming tools using iron manufacturing. Such progressiveness led to conflicts with his family, which in turn led to conflicts with the state power.

The conflict between clans and opposition to the imperial court led to the “Taira no Masakado Rebellion,” and although he temporarily ruled the Kanto region, he was ultimately defeated and killed by Fujiwara no Hidesato and Taira no Sadamori, who were sent by the imperial court. Legend has it that his head was exposed in Kyoto and then flown to the east.

【Taira no Masakado’s Grave (Head Tomb)】

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Legend has it that Taira no Masakado is one of the “Three Great Grudge Spirits of Japan” along with Emperor Sutoku and Sugawara no Michizane. His haunting is still feared even today, and the head mound of Shomon cannot be relocated. This is due to a tradition that various strange phenomena and misfortunes occurred when attempts were made to relocate it in the past. During the postwar development by GHQ, there was a string of accidents such as suspicious deaths of people involved and overturning of heavy machinery when attempts were made to relocate the mound. Today, the gravestone still stands between skyscrapers in the prestigious Otemachi district of Tokyo.

【Taira no Masakado’s Grave(Head Tomb) Access】

Taira no Masakado’s Grave(Head Tomb)

2-1, Otemachi 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan

※No parking is available.

Short walk from Exit C5 of Tokyo Metro Otemachi Station

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参考

将門塚（スポット紹介）|【公式】東京都千代田区の観光情報公式サイト / Visit Chiyoda

【Tsukudo Shrine precincts】

Since the shrine is in the heart of the city, it is located in a valley of buildings, and if you don’t know it, you might pass by it without noticing it.

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【Tsukudo Shrine Shrine building】

Perhaps because of its location on the grounds of a building, it has a modern impression. The shrine pavilion was newly constructed in 1994 as a reinforced concrete structure, along with the construction of an office building within the precincts of the shrine.

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The shrine is located on the first floor of a building and has a unique atmosphere, but the shrine pavilion is well built.

【Tsukudo Shrine precincts Yotsugi Inari】

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The shrine was named “Yotsugi Inari” after the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, who visited the shrine called “Tayasu Inari” and praised it as “a shrine that will succeed and prosper from generation to generation.

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【Tsukudo Shrine Nearby attractions】

Yasukuni Shrine, Nippon Budokan, Imperial Palace, Tokyo Daijingu Shrine

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Yasukuni-jinja Shrine [Tokyo]

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The Imperial Palace (Outer Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Ruins of Edo Castle, East Gardens) [Tokyo]

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Tokyo Daijingu Shrine [Tokyo]

【Tsukudo Shrine Access】

Manager’s Comments

The head mound of Masakado is a famous story that the Japanese government and GHQ at that time could not handle. The name Taira no Masakado conjures up a frightening image, and in the west (Kyoto) he is treated as a villain. However, in the east (Kanto region), he was a hero who stood up against oppression by cultivating wasteland with farmers, and there are many places in Kanto where his story has been passed down. Why not visit the shrine together with the nearby Yasukuni Shrine to pay your respects to the great men of the past?

Site/Facility Size

(1.5)

Richness of Nature

(0.5)

Ease of access

(4.5)

Number of tourists

(1.5)