A thousand years of devotion to Fudo Myo-o

According to the guidebook, Naritasan Shinshoji serves as the head temple of the Chisan branch of Shingon Buddhism and is regarded as the central institution in Japan for devotion to Fudo Myo-o (a wrathful Buddhist guardian deity), widely known by the affectionate name "Narita no Ofudo-sama." According to the guidebook, Naritasan Shinshoji was established in 940 CE by the high priest Kancho Daisojo, who enshrined an image of Fudo Myo-o said to have been personally carved and consecrated by the Buddhist master Kobo Daishi Kukai.

The goma fire ritual

According to the guidebook, since its founding over a thousand years ago the temple has performed goma fire ritual prayers without interruption, burning wooden sticks to purify worshippers' intentions and pray for the fulfilment of their wishes. According to the guidebook, the current main hall (Daihondo), built in 1968, is where the goma fire ritual takes place, and visitors can ascend into the hall to offer personal prayers before the principal image of Fudo Myo-o. According to the guidebook, from 1 January through 28 January each year, New Year goma prayers are held hourly at the main hall, and an early-morning visitor in this period can witness the ceremony repeatedly. According to the guidebook, at the Setsubun bean-scattering ceremony the presiding sumo grand champion calls only "Fuku wa uchi" (good fortune, come in), and unlike other temples the phrase "Oni wa soto" (demons, go out) is deliberately omitted at Naritasan Shinshoji.

Halls, gates, and towers on the grounds

According to the guidebook, several structures within the precinct carry National Important Cultural Property designation, including the Niomon gate (erected 1830), the three-storey pagoda (erected 1712 and standing 25 metres tall), the Komyodo hall (erected 1858 and formerly the main hall), and the Gakudo hall (erected 1861). According to the guidebook, the Peace Tower (Heiwa no Daito) within the precinct stands 58 metres tall, contains a sutra-copying hall, and is visible as a landmark from the approach road. Guidebooks describe the collection of goshuin temple seal stamps at six different halls within the precinct as a natural way to structure an unhurried circuit of the grounds.

Naritasan Park behind the main hall

According to the guidebook, Naritasan Park, set on hillside terrain immediately behind the main hall, covers approximately 165,000 square metres and was completed in 1928, and it features ponds, wooded paths, a calligraphy museum, and stone monuments inscribed with haiku by poets including Matsuo Basho and Takahama Kyoshi.

The omotesando approach street

According to the guidebook, the entrance to the omotesando (the approach street leading up to the temple) is marked by a kabuki monument depicting the Kagami Shishi lion dance, referencing the historic tie between the Ichikawa Danjuro acting dynasty and Naritasan Shinshoji, a connection that helped popularise the temple among Edo-period commoners. According to the guidebook, the Somon (total gate) at the base of the omotesando was erected in 2008 and stands 15 metres tall, and the lintel carries wooden carvings of the twelve zodiac animals, with tradition holding that passing beneath one's birth-year zodiac sign brings good fortune. Guidebooks describe stone figures of the twelve zodiac animals as placed at intervals along both pavements of the omotesando, giving passers-by a small diversion of finding the figure that matches their own birth year. According to the guidebook, the omotesando currently features over 150 shops and restaurants, and by the Tenpo era of the eighteenth century it already counted 158 establishments including inns, confectioneries, and sellers of traditional medicines. Guidebooks describe the approach as a place where visitors can enjoy simply looking into the specialist shops without any obligation to buy, the street theatre of the approach itself part of the appeal. Guidebooks describe a right turn at the Y-junction in front of a poet's statue, midway along the omotesando, as leading to a stretch of well-preserved old buildings that recall the Edo townscape — a character noticeably different from the livelier main approach just behind.

Eel: Narita's Edo-period speciality

According to the guidebook, eel has been the defining local speciality of Narita since the Edo period, when pilgrims making a multi-day journey from Edo ate eel — caught in the nearby Tone River and Inba Pond — for stamina, and the pairing of a Narita pilgrimage with an eel meal became standard practice that continues today with around sixty eel restaurants clustered along and near the omotesando. Guidebooks describe one long-established eel restaurant on the omotesando, known as Kawatoya, as having operated since the early Meiji era, with the street-side filleting of live eels in view of passers-by itself a characteristic sight of the approach street. Guidebooks describe the omotesando as also offering shops selling traditional specialities such as teppozuke pickles (cucumber hollowed and stuffed with chilli wrapped in shiso leaves, then pickled in soy and mirin), yokan bean-jelly, dango dumplings, and bamboo or wooden craft tools.

Crowds, New Year, and festivals

According to the guidebook, the temple draws over ten million pilgrims and visitors annually and ranks at or near the top nationally for New Year's visitor counts, with roughly three million people arriving over the first three days of January alone. According to the guidebook, the Narita Gion Festival, held over three days in early July, features ten floats and one portable shrine parading through the omotesando district and draws roughly 450,000 spectators, standing among the heavily attended summer events in the region.

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