Nezu Shrine

Nezu Shrine (Nezu Jinja) is a Shinto shrine in the Nezu neighborhood of Bunkyo ward, Tokyo, on the edge of the old Yanaka area. It is known for its tunnel of red torii gates and its hillside azalea garden, and its Edo-period halls have survived largely intact. Entry to the shrine grounds is free.

Do not confuse it with the Nezu Museum, an art museum with a garden in Minami-Aoyama on the other side of the city.

History of Nezu Shrine

Tradition says the shrine was founded about 1,900 years ago in nearby Sendagi by the legendary prince Yamato Takeru. Its present site was the Edo estate of Tokugawa Tsunashige and the birthplace of his son Ienobu, who became the sixth shogun. When the shogun Tsunayoshi named Ienobu his heir, he gave the estate to the shrine, and the shrine moved here in 1706.

The halls built that year still stand. Seven structures are Important Cultural Properties. They include the main hall and worship hall, the two-story Romon Gate, the Karamon Gate and a 200-meter lattice fence. They are built in the gongen-zukuri style, with the main hall and worship hall joined by a connecting hall, and finished in lacquer. Parts of the shrine were damaged in World War II, and restoration was completed in 1962.

What to see at Nezu Shrine

Torii path and Otome Inari

The shrine's best-known sight is a path of closely spaced red torii gates, each donated by a worshipper, that climbs the slope of the grounds. It leads to Otome Inari, a small Inari shrine on a terrace above the pond. The tunnel is short compared with Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, but it is far less crowded.

Romon Gate and the main halls

The Romon Gate is one of the few Edo-period shrine gates of its kind still standing. Beyond it, the Karamon Gate and the lattice fence surround the main hall complex. Look for the Tokugawa crest on the roof of Komagome Inari, the small shrine that protected the estate before the main shrine moved here.

Literary connections

The novelists Natsume Soseki and Mori Ogai were both parishioners of the shrine, and a stone in the grounds is said to be where they sat to rest. A water basin carries an inscription by Ogai.

Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival

The Bunkyo Azalea Festival (Tsutsuji Matsuri) runs through April, when about 3,000 azalea plants of roughly 100 varieties bloom on the hillside garden behind the shrine. In 2026 it ran from April 1 to April 30, and the garden admission was 500 to 1,000 yen, depending on how far the flowers had opened. Peak bloom is usually mid to late April. The garden is open only during the festival, and from the slope you can see the Romon Gate from above. GO TOKYO posts each year's azalea festival dates and fees.

Azaleas are one of several spring flower events in Japan, and our guide to Japan's spring flower festivals covers others.

How to get to Nezu Shrine

• Nezu Station or Sendagi Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line): about 5 minutes on foot

• Todaimae Station (Tokyo Metro Namboku Line): about 5 minutes on foot

• Hakusan Station (Toei Mita Line): about 10 minutes on foot

Nezu Shrine fits easily into a walk around Yanaka, with its old temples and the Yanaka Ginza shopping street nearby.

A guide can fill in the Tokugawa history. The Ueno, Yanaka and Sendagi walk includes the shrine with the temples and lanes of the old town.