Hakone Shrine, Kuzuryu Shrine & Mototsumiya: Lake Ashi 3-Shrine Guide (2026)

1. What Is Hakone Shrine? 757 CE Founding, Hakone Okami & the 89 Yakuyoke Stone Steps

Founded in 757 CE (Tenpyo-hoji 1) by ascetic monk Mangan Shonin following a divine oracle on Mount Hakone, Hakone Shrine collectively enshrines three imperial-mythology deities—Ninigi-no-Mikoto, Konohanasakuyahime-no-Mikoto, and Hikohohodemi-no-Mikoto—under the title Hakone Okami, revered across eastern Japan for misfortune-warding, victory, road safety, and wish fulfillment.

After surviving defeat at Ishibashiyama in 1180, future shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo found sanctuary here and prayed to Hakone Okami before founding the Kamakura Shogunate; Tokugawa Ieyasu later bestowed generous estates as well. Approaching from Moto-Hakone beneath giant cedars, purify at the water pavilion on the left beside the Fourth Torii, then climb northward up the main stone stairway of exactly 89 steps—celebrated in Japanese wordplay as the Yakuyoke ("misfortune-dropping," 8-9 = yaku) stairs—through the Fifth Torii to the south-facing Main Hall, flanked by the amulet office on the left and Kuzuryu Shingu on the right (for Konohanasakuyahime's connection to Mount Fuji, read our Mt. Fuji & Sengen Shrines Guide).

2. Lake Ashi's Heiwa-no-Torii ("Gate of Peace"): 1952 Treaty Origins & Queue-Free Etiquette

Aligned straight south down the stone steps from the Fourth Torii into the water of Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine's Heiwa-no-Torii ("Torii of Peace") was built in 1952 to celebrate the San Francisco Peace Treaty restoring Japan's sovereignty and the formal investiture of Crown Prince Akihito (now Emperor Emeritus), receiving its lake-facing "Peace" (平和) calligraphy plaque by former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida in 1964.

• Why the "Peace" Plaque Faces Out Over Lake Ashi: Installed in 1964 during Hakone Shrine's 1,200th anniversary and the Tokyo Olympic year, Prime Minister Yoshida's calligraphy faces southward toward the open water so passengers aboard Lake Ashi sightseeing boats and Mount Fuji's distant peaks behold a prayer for enduring global peace (compare other waterside gates in our 10 Most Famous Torii Gates in Japan Guide).
• Pray Upstairs First—and Arrive Early to Skip Photo Lines: Although the lakeside gate is accessible 24 hours free, photo queues along the shoreline stones frequently stretch 30 to 60 minutes between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM. Proper Shinto respect climbs the 89 steps to greet Hakone Okami at the Main Hall first before descending to the water's edge; arriving between 6:30 AM and 8:15 AM rewards you with misty stillness and zero waiting.

3. Kuzuryu Shrine (Nine-Headed Dragon): Shingu vs. Hongu & ¥100 Ryujin-sui Sacred Water

Dedicated to Lake Ashi's guardian dragon deity Kuzuryu Okami (wealth, business prosperity, and matchmaking), Kuzuryu Shrine comprises two sanctuaries: the easily accessible Shingu ("New Shrine") built in 2000 directly right (east) of Hakone Shrine's Main Hall with its Ryujin-sui spring, and the tranquil lakeside Hongu ("Main Shrine") inside Hakone Kuzuryu Forest (9:00 AM–5:00 PM, ¥600).

• Kuzuryu Shingu & Taking Home Ryujin-sui Dragon Water (¥100 Bottle): Legend relates that Mangan Shonin pacified a nine-headed dragon once troubling Lake Ashi, enshrining it as a benevolent water protector. Directly in front of Kuzuryu Shingu, pure mountain spring water flows from nine bronze dragon mouths: rinse your mouth to purify body and spirit, or obtain an official ¥100 Ryujin-sui bottle at Hakone Shrine's amulet counter (8:15 AM–5:00 PM) to bring sacred water home.
• Lakeside Kuzuryu Hongu, Hakuryu Shrine & the 13th Monthly Festival: Reaching the original Kuzuryu Hongu takes a scenic 30-to-40-minute lakeside walk northwest from Hakone Shrine (or 15 minutes from Hakone-en) into Hakone Kuzuryu Forest (open 9:00 AM–5:00 PM; adult admission ¥600), passing white-torii Hakuryu (White Dragon) Shrine and offshore Benzaiten-sha. Because Hongu is unstaffed on ordinary days, collect its Goshuin seal at Hakone Shrine's main counter; on the 13th of every month, special pilgrimage boats depart Moto-Hakone Pier for the 10:00 AM Tsukinamisai matchmaking service (see our Enmusubi Love Shrines Guide).

4. The Complete Hakone Sansha-mairi 3-Shrine Route (Including Summit Hakone Mototsumiya)

To complete the full Hakone Three-Shrine Pilgrimage (Sansha-mairi) smoothly in 3 to 4 hours, travel south-to-northwest along Lake Ashi in the sequence 1. Hakone Shrine (& Kuzuryu Shingu) → 2. Kuzuryu Shrine Hongu (Kuzuryu Forest) → 3. Hakone Mototsumiya on Mt. Komagatake (1,356m via Hakone-en Ropeway).

5. Hakone Three Shrines Hours, Fees, Goshuin & Bus Access from Odawara / Hakone-Yumoto

Hakone Shrine (80-1 Moto-Hakone, Hakone-machi, Kanagawa) is a 10-minute walk from Moto-Hakone-ko bus stop—reached in ~60 minutes from JR/Odakyu Odawara Station or ~40 minutes from Hakone-Yumoto Station via Hakone Tozan Bus Line H—with free 24-hour grounds access and staffed counters open 8:15 AM–5:00 PM.

From the silent lakeside prayer for global peace at Heiwa-no-Torii and nine-dragon spring water to Mount Komagatake's open-sky altar facing Mount Fuji, completing the Hakone Three-Shrine Pilgrimage connects water, forest, and volcanic peak in a single unforgettable journey. Review our Goshuin Stamp Book Etiquette Guide before collecting all three sanctuary seals.