Shoin-jinja Shrine

In short

Shoin-jinja Shrine is dedicated to Yoshida Shoin, a samurai of the Choshu Domain in the late Edo period who ran the Shoka Sonjuku academy and nurtured many young men who became the driving forces of the Meiji Restoration. It originated in 1882 when his disciples built a shrine beside his grave, and in recent years Shoin has been revered as a deity of learning.

• ​Graves of Master Shoin and Other Loyal Martyrs​​: Holds the gravestones of late Edo period loyalists, including Yoshida Shoin and Rai Mikisaburo.
• ​Replica of Shoka Sonjuku​​: A building modeled after the Shoka Sonjuku academy preserved at Shoin-jinja Shrine in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
• ​Statue of Yoshida Shoin​​: A bronze statue cast from a plaster figure sculpted in 1890, installed on the shrine grounds in 2013.

History and Highlights

​Shoin-jinja Shrine​ is dedicated to Yoshida Shoin. Shoin was a samurai of the Choshu Domain who directed the Shoka Sonjuku academy, educating numerous youths who became the driving force behind the Meiji Restoration. Implicated in the Ansei Purge, he was executed in Edo's Denmacho Prison on October 27, 1859, at the young age of 30.

Four years later, in 1863, his disciples, including Takasugi Shinsaku and Ito Hirobumi, reinterred Shoin's remains from Kozukappara Eko-in Temple in Senju to this site in Wakabayashi, Setagaya. The area where the shrine stands was once home to a villa of the Choshu Domain lord and was reportedly called Tayuyama.

On November 21, 1882, Shoin's disciples consulted together and erected a shrine beside the grave to venerate his spirit. The shrine building constructed at the time of founding by Ito Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, and others now serves as the inner sanctuary (naijin) of the main hall. The current shrine building was constructed between 1927 and 1928. In recent years, Shoin has gained reverence as a deity of learning, drawing worshippers from all across the country.

Points for Viewing and Experiencing

• ​Graves of Master Shoin and Other Loyal Martyrs​​: Within the shrine's cemetery are the gravestones of late Edo period loyalists, including Yoshida Shoin, Rai Mikisaburo, and Kobayashi Minbu. Rai Mikisaburo was the third son of Rai Sanyo; he was executed during the Ansei Purge and reinterred from Eko-in Temple at the same time as Shoin. The torii gate at the entrance to the cemetery was dedicated by Kido Takayoshi when the burial site was renovated.
• ​Replica of Shoka Sonjuku​​: This building is a replica of the Shoka Sonjuku academy preserved at Shoin-jinja Shrine in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Built in 1938 with materials gathered entirely from Hagi, it was relocated to these shrine grounds in 1941. It is said that Shoin actually taught his students at the Hagi academy for a total of only about two and a half years.
• ​Statue of Yoshida Shoin​​: A bronze statue cast from a plaster figure created in 1890 by sculptor Okuma Ujihiro. Erecting a bronze statue was not feasible at that time. As a project commemorating the 130th anniversary of the shrine's enshrinement, casting was commissioned to Tokyo University of the Arts, and the statue was placed on the grounds in 2013.

Walking Tips

It is about a 3-minute walk north along the Shoin Jinja-dori Shopping Street from Shoin-jinja-mae Station on the Tokyu Setagaya Line. Lined within the grounds are 32 stone lanterns donated by people connected to Shoin, including the Mori clan and his disciples Ito Hirobumi and Yamagata Aritomo. After worshipping at the shrine building, consider visiting the replica of Shoka Sonjuku and the cemetery. About 810 meters in a straight line to the west is Gotoku-ji Temple, and about 1 kilometer to the southwest lies the Daikan Residence.