Keio Inari Shrine (慶應稲荷神社)

Keio Inari Shrine

East of the East School Building on Keio University's Shinanomachi Campus — home to the School of Medicine — stands a small Shinto shrine known as Keio Inari Shrine (慶應稲荷神社), also referred to as Keio Inari-sha (慶應稲荷社). As indicated on the sign of the torii (shrine gate), the enshrined kami (deity) is Keio Inari Daimyojin (慶應稲荷大明神).

Around 1922, several senior faculty members of the medical school died in succession, and some on-duty staff began reporting dreams of a divine beast, as if it were trying to communicate something. Concerned by the unusual events, some faculty members consulted a fortune-teller in Asakusa, who proclaimed that there was a kami near a pond (which once existed on the north side of the current Education and Research Building) that wished to be brought into the world. The fortune-teller advised them to build a shrine in its honor.

Chozubachi

Skeptical yet desperate, they conducted an excavation and discovered the remains of an old shrine, including fragments of a small structure and a chozubachi (water basin). Taking this as a sign, a new shrine was built at the current location, after which the strange occurrences reportedly ceased.

An inscription on the chozubachi reads "嘉永五年" (Kaei 5), corresponding to the year 1852, suggesting that the original shrine may have stood within one of the samurai residences that lined the area during the Edo period (1603–1868). In the Meiji period (1868–1912), the site was repurposed as a military training ground before being transferred to Keio University in 1917, shaping its present-day use.

Keio Inari Shrine was destroyed during World War II but was rebuilt in 1953. It underwent another reconstruction in 1963, funded by volunteer donations. The original wooden torii deteriorated over time and was replaced in 1979. According to a 1984 issue of the university's hospital newsletter, budget constraints made it difficult to rebuild the torii, but a university staff member took the initiative to purchase affordable iron pipes and construct the gate himself. At the time, his child was undergoing a high-risk heart surgery, which was successfully completed. The newsletter noted that the torii was imbued with both the divine blessings of Inari Daimyojin and a father's deep love.

In the past, the Hatsu-uma Festival (初午祭) was held annually in a grand manner, with participation from local residents. Today, the festival has become a more subdued event, during which a Shinto priest offers prayers for the safety and well-being of the university.

Kitasato Memorial Medical Library

Nearby campus landmarks include the Kitasato Memorial Medical Library (北里記念医学図書館), completed in 1937, and the Building for Preventive Medicine & Public Health (予防医学校舎), completed in 1929.

Building for Preventive Medicine & Public Health