Kasama Inari Shrine is one of the 3 largest Inari shrines in Japan. The enshrined deity is Ukano Mitama no Kami, which is ranked as the highest of all the deities. It was founded in 651 during the reign of Emperor Kotoku and has a history of more than 1350 years. The shrine gained prosperity in the Edo period, when the successive domain lords worshipped this shrine faithfully. Yasunaga Matsudaira, the 3rd generation lord, and Asano clan, which is famous for the story of “Chushingura” are said to have transferred the enshrined deity to their new places of appointment. The shrine is also worshipped faithfully as the deity of rich harvest and successful business by ordinary people not only in Kanto region but also many other areas of the country. Today annually 3.5 million people from all over Japan visit this shrine. On the New Year’s Day alone the shrine is visited by about 500 thousand people, which ranks first in the number of New Year’s visitors in the prefecture.