Enshrined Kami
The three major kami enshrined are Daikokuten, Ebisu, and Taira no Masakado. As Daikokuten and Ebisu both belong to the Seven Gods of Fortune, Kanda Shrine is a popular place for businessmen and entrepreneurs to pray for wealth and prosperity.
Taira no Masakado however, was a samurai who rebelled against the Heian government, and was later elevated to the status of kami out of reverence. He is an important figure in the shrine's history. After his death in 940, his head was separated from his body and delivered to the Shibaraki area, near the shrine's location today. Locals who respected his defiance enshrined him in Kanda Shrine, and his spirit is said to watch over the surrounding areas. It was rumored that when his shrine fell into disrepair, Masakado's angry spirit wrought natural disasters and plagues upon the nearby lands. It is also said that shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu felt uncomfortable to have his castle built close to such a powerful spirit, and so decided to move Kanda Shrine to its modern location.
During the Meiji period, the emperor was faced with public pressure to include Kanda Shrine in the Tokyo Ten Shrines (東京十社, Tokyo Jissha?), but hesitated to do so because of the shrine's association with Masakado, who was seen as an anti-government figure. This was temporarily resolved by removing Taira no Masakado as an enshrined kami. However, Masakado's spirit proved so popular amongst the commoners, that it was symbolically returned to the shrine after WWII.
Read more about this topic: Kanda Shrine
Famous quotes containing the word enshrined:
“If we can “boondoggle” ourselves out of this depression, that word is going to be enshrined in the hearts of the American people for years to come.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)