A man was paying his respects at the Hiratsuka Shrine, which stands at the end of a long approach to the shrine

Hiratsuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture is the first place that comes to mind when one hears the word Hiratsuka, but this place name is found in many other places in the Kanto region. Hiratsuka is also found in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture, and Shirai City, Chiba Prefecture. The origin of the word "Hiratsuka" is said to mean "a mound in the shape of a plateau" or "a high place with a slope," but in the end, it is probably a common name. The shrine in Kaminakazato that I visited on the same day was also named Hiratsuka Shrine.

It is said that this shrine is called Hiratsuka Jinja Shrine because there is a "mound in the shape of a plateau" within its precincts. It is said that when the brothers Minamoto no Yoshie, Yoshitsuna, and Yoshimitsu stayed here on their way back from the Gosannen War in the Heian period (794-1185), they buried armor presented to the shrine as a token of their gratitude for the generous hospitality they received. The mound was called "Hiratsuka" because it was flat and not high, and this is the origin of the name Hiratsuka.

Although the mound where armor was buried is an interesting legend, the mound is actually registered as a burial mound and is believed to date back to a much older period. As a result of people's stories that have been embellished little by little over the course of its long history, a story that is interesting as a legend but a bit different from the historical fact has been created.

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