Oman Inari Jinja (於満稲荷神社)

Oman Inari Jinja (於満稲荷神社)

Oman Inari Jinja (於満稲荷神社) is a small Inari shrine standing near Tokyo Station in the Nihonbashi District of Chuo-ku, Tokyo.  Oman (於満) is said to refer to Yojuin (養珠院), one of the concubines of Tokugawa Ieyasu who was the founder and the first shogun of the Edo shogunate.  She had two sons Tokugawa Yorinobu (徳川頼宣), who became the founder of the Kishu branch of the Tokugawa clan, and Tokugawa Yorifusa (徳川頼房), the founder of the Mito branch of the clan.  Both branches are considered Gosanke, the most notable branches of the clan.  Among her descendants are Tokugawa Yoshimune (徳川吉宗), the eighth shogun, and Tokugawa Mitsukuni (徳川光圀), one of the most well-known historical figures from the Edo period, commonly known as Mito Komon (水戸黄門).

Oman Inari Jinja (於満稲荷神社)

The records of the area were destroyed during the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657.  The name of the shrine can be seen in the records written during the Kanbun era after the area recovered from the fire.

It is said there used to be a resting place of the shogunate in the area.  As Yojuin was a faithful Buddhist, when she and her group visited the Nihonbashi area to prepare for donations to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, they heavily contributed to the economy.  Since the area had strong ties with her, due to this event, the local merchants built this shrine.