is a major Shintō

Shinto

or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...

 shrine in Tokorozawa city

Tokorozawa, Saitama

is a city in Saitama, Japan. It is located in the central part of the Musashino plain, about 30 km west of downtown Tokyo. Tokorozawa can be considered part of the greater Tokyo area; its proximity to the latter and lower housing costs make it a popular bedroom community.-Location:Tokorozawa...

, Saitama Prefecture

Saitama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...

, Japan.

History

Tradition holds that Tokorozawa Shimei Shrine was founded in the year 110 A. D. by Yamatotakeru no mikoto during his conquest of eastern Japan. Three Shinto gods are enshrined: Amaterasu Ohmikami, Ukanomitama-no-mikoto, and Ōmono-nushi-no-kami.

Festivals

The major festivals held are:

• January 1 – Gantan-sai (New Year’s Festival)
• February 3 – Setsubun
  Setsubun
  is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan. The name literally means "seasonal division", but usually the term refers to the spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the...
  
  (traditional beginning of spring)
• April 21 – Chi-sai
• First Sunday in June – Ningyō-kuyō (Doll’s day)
• June 30 - Nagoshi-no Ō-harae (Summer Purification Ceremony )
• September 15 – Tai-sai