The 1000 year old Shinto Shrine Traditional Cache
The 1000 year old Shinto Shrine
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Searching for this cache will take you through one of the hidden
treasures of this part of Kanto, Japan - Hatogamine Hachiman
Shrine.
SOME HISTORY:
As quoted from Wikipedia (permission granted by the author):
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“Hatogamine Hachiman Shrine is believed to date to 921 A. D. when a ground purification ceremony was held there. Shrine records state that the it was repaired in year 1232 and that in year 1333 the famous Samurai commander Nitta Yoshisada prayed at the shrine during his campaign against the Kamakura Shogunate. The Kabuotokakeno-matsu pine tree on the grounds is believed to date from that time and is where Nitta hung his helmet while visiting.
"In year 1591 when the future Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu began the tradition of donating lumber for the shrine that was maintained by every Shogun until the end of the Edo Period in 1867.
"The main hall rests on a wooded hilltop and dates before 1333 and is one of the few such ancient structures in Saitama.”
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HOW TO FIND THE CACHE:
1. The coordinates will get you to the wooden O-Torii gate that is the entrance to the shrine precincts from the road. You are not at the cache yet and a roundabout route will take you to it.
2. From the O-Torii walk about 20 meters up to the path towards the main shrine meters stopping at the massive bell on the left. Since this is one of the few full sized shrine bells that I know of that you are allowed to ring anytime, make sure to do so for good luck and awaken the spirits in the countryside.
3. Next continue up the path towards the main shrine building. When reaching the shrine building, shake the rope to ring the bells above the door. If there is a donation box, make sure to leave a few yen to honor the god and pay for the shrine upkeep. Proceed down the steps from the main building and turn right on a stone path as soon as you can. Notice the shrine buildings as you proceed to the stairs that will take you to a lower level.
4. At the bottom of the stairs in the midst of a small group of buildings will be another shrine building that you can pay homage at if you wish.
5. With your back to this shrine building, proceed through another stone O-Torii gate, walk down some stairs and onto an asphalt road.
6. Walk about one hundred meters until you intersect with a road that is near the entrance to the shrine you first took.
7. Cross this road and you will soon come to a set of stone steps that proceed up from the road. At the top of these steps you will notice a stone stele.
8. The cache is in this area. The cache is a locked plastic container with a log book, a pen, and some trinkets. Make sure to sufficiently hide it.
Oh by the way, during the rainy warm months, there are mosquitoes everywhere. Make sure you are adequately protected.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx sbe gjb ebpxf orgjrra gjb gerrf oruvaq gur Fgryr ng
A35°46'38" R139° 27'34".
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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