About
Passing through the lush green trees of Inokashira Park, a vermilion-painted bridge quietly leads to a small island in the pond. Crossing this bridge, the imposing figure of Inokashira Benzaiten appears. The Bentendo Hall is a wooden structure rebuilt in the early Showa period, with vermilion pillars and white walls creating a vivid contrast that soothes the hearts of visitors.
The history of this place is ancient, beginning in the Tenkei era (938–947), when Minamoto no Tsunemoto enshrined a Benzaiten statue said to have been made by Dengyo Daishi. Later, Minamoto no Yoritomo, in gratitude for the fulfillment of his prayers for victory over the Taira clan, built a shrine hall in Kenkyu 8 (1197). It is also said that in Shokei 2 (1333), Nitta Yoshisada prayed for victory here during his campaign to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate. (musashino-kanko.com)
In the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu chose Inokashira Pond as the water source when developing the waterworks for Edo, and it is said that Ieyasu himself visited this place. In Keicho 11 (1606), Ieyasu made tea using water from Inokashira Pond, and the tea millstone he used at that time is still kept at Bentendo Hall. During the reign of the third shogun, Iemitsu, this area became a falconry ground, and when Iemitsu visited in Kan’ei 6 (1629), he named the pond “Inokashira” because its water was the source of drinking water for Edo. It is said that he carved “Inokashira” with a small knife into a kobushi tree by the pond. (musashino-kanko.com)
To the left of Bentendo Hall stands a statue of Ugajin. This statue has a human head and a snake’s body and is worshipped as a deity of agriculture and grains. There is a legend in this area that a girl, born after her parents prayed to Benzaiten, grew up to be beautiful, and when she visited Benzaiten, she jumped into the pond and turned into a white snake. It is said that this Ugajin statue was built to console her spirit. (city.mitaka.lg.jp)
Behind Bentendo Hall, there is a hand-washing basin dedicated to the dragon god, where visitors can wash money. Like the Zeniarai Benzaiten in Kamakura, this spot is visited by people wishing for good fortune and wealth. (chikuhobby.com)
Inokashira Benzaiten is also known as one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Musashino Kichijoji and is especially revered as a deity of the arts, learning, and fortune. Surrounded by nature in every season, this place offers visitors tranquility and healing, making it a special space where history and legend live on.