historic siteIkebukuro/Akabane

Enoki mushroom (Hypsipetes amaurotis)（Enkiri Enoki)

location thought to be flowing with mystical energyseparation

Enoki tree located in Itabashi-juku, Itabashi-ku Honmachi, Tokyo, in the Nakasendo (Highway) era. During the Edo period (1603-1867), it was called “Enokitsuki” (meaning “enoki tree” in Japanese) because of the rows of enoki and tsuki trees lining the hedges of nearby Hatamoto residences, and the name “Enokitsuki” came to be associated with the word “enzuki” (meaning “end of the relationship”), which was then passed down through the generations. Since then, it has been feared as a haunted place, and the current Enoki is the third generation. Located in a section of the Nakamachi shopping street that runs north of Itabashi, it is said that when Princess Wamiya married Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi in 1861, her procession was purposely diverted because of bad luck. Although the word “karma” may sound ominous, the shrine also attracts many worshippers seeking to break off habits they wish to quit, such as quitting smoking.

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