Hachimori Inari Jinja (八森稲荷神社) & the Iron Plate

Hachimori Inari Jinja

Hachimori Inari Jinja (八森稲荷神社) is a small Shinto shrine located southeast of Tsujido Station in the Tsujidomotomachi area of Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. The shrine enshrines Ukanomitama no Okami (宇迦之御魂大神), the kami (deity) of harvests and sericulture, commonly identified with Inari, one of Shinto's most widely worshipped kami. It is also known as "Nishimachi no Oinari-sama" (西町のお稲荷さま), meaning the Inari of Nishimachi.

Iron plate

Displayed next to the shrine is an iron plate that was once used at the Imperial Japanese Navy's proving ground at nearby Tsujido Beach. Several iron plates were used as targets and gun platforms to test a new type of gunpowder brought back from Germany by former Imperial Navy technician Masachika Shimoze (1860–1911), in 1888. The test was successful, and Shimoze made improvements to the powder, which was named "Shimoze Powder." It was later used in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905).

Experts have noted that the chemical composition of the iron plate is similar to the steel plates used in ships like the Titanic and the Japanese battleship Mikasa, both built by British shipbuilders.