Tsuchinoto-mi Day: A White Snake, a Lion and a Jar for Grumbles

In the shrine’s own account, a white snake once lived in a spring-fed washing place beside the main hall. When the washing place disappeared, the snake had no choice but to move to a pond in what is now Togoshi Park. It then appeared in the dream of a man from an old local family and asked to be returned to its old home as soon as possible. The shrine dug a pond for it on what is now the car park, and enshrined the snake in a small stone shrine on an island in the middle.

For a supernatural encounter, the request was rather domestic.

The snake wanted its old address back.

The neighbourhood lost its snake as well. This was once the village of Hebikubo, “snake hollow.” When it became part of Tokyo City in 1932, it was renamed after the shrine instead. In 2019, the shrine made “Hebikubo Shrine” its official everyday name, though its formal name is still Tenso Shrine. The snake’s name, at least, has moved back in.

Behind the white snake were frosted windows, an air-conditioning unit and a parked scooter. The snake belonged to a sacred story; the scooter presumably belonged to someone nearby.

At the edge of the stage, a performer wearing a tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog) mask held an ornate lion head. The white snake stood on one side, a white-haired fox on the other.

A small child in a padded jacket stood just in front of them, while an adult nearby held up a phone.

By custom, a bite on the head from a lion is supposed to keep illness away.

A lion’s good intentions are probably easier to appreciate when you are taller than it is.