On September 24 and 25, we took a break in Mishima for the first time in a while.

On the 24th, which was a sunny day, we went for a walk at Mishima Grand Shrine. At the archery range—which we had never seen before—we watched a live archery practice session. At the treasure museum, we learned about the history of Mishima Grand Shrine.

The camphor tree, designated as a natural monument by Mishima City, is said to be over 300 years old and is considered a “power spot.”

The exact date of the founding of Mishima Taisha is unknown. Ancient texts from the Nara and Heian periods record that a deity created an island in Izu, and the shrine has been known as Mishima Daimyojin since ancient times. Minamoto no Yoritomo held the shrine in deep reverence, and it came to attract the devotion of samurai as the place where he prayed for—and achieved—the restoration of the Minamoto clan.

The enshrined deities are Ōyamatsumi-no-kami and Tsumihayae-Kotoshironushi-no-kami. It is said that the enshrined deity at the nearby Takigawa Shrine—a subsidiary shrine of Mishima Grand Shrine—is Oyamatsumi daughter, Seoritsuhime .

On the evening of September 25, we reunited with some trusted local friends. We had a lot to catch up on and, as always, had a wonderful time.

That evening, it was cloudy with a light drizzle, but the full moon peeked out from between the clouds. Thank you for always making each day meaningful. We expressed our gratitude to the full moon.