Where Gumbo Was #320
Gumbo was at the Hikawa Shrine in Omiya-ku, Saitama, Japan. The district and park it’s in is called Omiya, meaning “Great Shrine” because Emperor Meji favored it above all shrines in the Kanto region.
Hikawa’s tradition says its history goes back to the reign of Emperor Kosho in 473 BC. The legend recounts Yamato Takeru who had a injured leg visiting the Shrine after being directed by an old man in his dream. When he worshiped there, he was able to stand on his own. The old name of the region, Ashidate, meant leg stand because of this.
The shrine structure was renovated in 1882. And in 1940, the main shrine structure, the gate tower, and other structures were reconstructed.
Surrounding the Shrine is the very large Omiya Park. It has a baseball stadium, a bicycle race course, a folk museum and a garden. Its famous for the Japanese Red Pine Forest and Cherry Blossoms.
