Mitomo Shrine

Mitomo Shrine in Nikko enshrines Sukunabiko no Mikoto, the deity of medicine and knowledge. According to the Kojiki, Japan's oldest written chronicle from 712, Sukunabiko helped the principal deity of Nikko Futarasan Shrine rule Japan. The shrine's exact founding date is unknown, but a stone water basin at the entrance is engraved with the Chinese characters for 1753, placing it here for at least 270 years. Visitors wash their hands at the basin before praying, a purification ritual showing respect to the deities. It is a brief, quiet stop among Nikko's shrines, but the deep historical lineage gives it weight.