Parent and child were going up the stairs of the Hikawa Shrine, while the woman in the hat was going down

Stairway and torii of Hikawa Shrine — Stairway of Hikawa Shrine

When I see something that boasts a long history, I naturally put my trust in it because it has a long history. However, on the other hand, I also wonder what the real story is if it has been around for so long. Such was the case when I saw a sacred fire in Yazd, Iran, the holy city of Zoroastrianism. This fire is said to have been burning uninterruptedly for more than 1,500 years since 470, but I wondered if this was true. As if to confirm my belief, I also heard a rumor that the fire had been extinguished once before during the Iranian Revolution in 1978. I don't know what the truth is. However, I have a feeling that I would smell something fishy if I were told that the fire had been extinguished for an incomprehensible length of time.

This is the Hikawa Jinja Shrine which I visited on this day. According to legend, the shrine was founded in 473, and was built on a hill by the Koishikawa Botanical Garden. It is as old as the sacred fire burning in the Zoroastrian temple in Yazd. What, however, is the story? In Iran, the Sasanian Persian empire existed at that time, while Japan was still in the middle of the Kofun period. Even the five kings of Japan who appear in the "Book of Song" have not yet been identified. It is no wonder that the shrine's biography seems suspicious.

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