This large and very beautiful mountain shrine is dedicated to wolf spirits (among others), and you can see a number of wolf statues around the grounds. Though they are now extinct, Japanese wolves once roamed these mountains, and people believed wolf spirits protected people's homes from fire and burglary. Because of that the Shrine was very popular with the people of Edo.
Walking around the shrine grounds is a pleasure - you never know what will be around the corner. Keep your eyes open for lovely views over the surrounding mountains, an elegant red tower, ornate carvings on the main hall, a mysterious stone with a hidden dragon, and sacred trees that will renew your strength if you place your hands and forehead against their trunks. There is also a very beautiful red gate named Zuishinmon, which is one of the most beautiful gates I have seen, and a statue of Yamato Takeru who founded the shrine some 1900 years ago, and a memorial to Mas Oyama who founded Kyokushin Karate.
And if they are still selling them outside the restaurant, don't miss the miso potato skewers. They were really good!
Getting there
Take a Seibu Line train to Seibu Chichibu station (about 80 minutes on the Red Arrow Express from Ikebukuro Station), then catch a bus for Mitsumine Shrine right outside the station, which takes about 1 hour.
More info
Find out more about Mitsumine Shrine.
Chichibu has so many intimate shrines and temples, and this has to be one of the more spectacular ones. And a lovely way to remember the wolves that protected Japan.