| Kobi Shrine | 古井神社 |
| Minokamo (美濃加茂市) | January 1, 2024 |
About Kobi Shrine
Kobi Shrine is a shrine in the Kobi area of Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture. The dieties enshrined here are Emperor Ojin, Sugawara no Michizane, Sosano no Mikoto.
My Visit
We moved to Minokamo in the fall of 2023, making this our first new year in our new house. My family stayed home for the new year despite being able to travel now just for this reason. We got up for the sunrise and went back to bed and didn’t get up again until lunchtime. I dressed myself in my mother in law’s old homongi kimono and my family made our way to the shrine with the cool wind nipping at us for hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the new year.
The shrine is actually quite large for a local shrine and there were a lot of people there. After praying, we made our way to to the center of the grounds and placed our old ofuda, omamori, and other items that we were ready to retire in the small bonfire they had going. Many people were hanging around the fire for warmth.
There’s also an Inari shrine on the grounds with a surprisingly long pathway through the red torii gates. They had some LED lights along the path, so I guess visiting it at night is a thing here.
Before heading home, we dropped by the shrine shop and got ofuda for our first house and goshuin.
