30/08/2021
On the shores of Lake Ashi in Hakone is Hakone Shrine.
If Lake Ashi is the natural symbol of Hakone, then Hakone Shrine is its spiritual hub. According to legend, this Shinto shrine was founded in 757 CE by Mangan Shonin, a priest engaged in ascetic practices who is said to have erected a simple lakeside sanctuary to the deities of the nearby mountains that had been worshiped in this region since antiquity. The shrine’s influence grew during the Kamakura period (1185–1333), after Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) sought refuge there after defeat in his first battle against the ruling Taira family. Yoritomo eventually vanquished the Taira and established the Kamakura shogunate, which was to last for almost 150 years