Yakyu Inari Shrine

Five minutes on foot from Higashi‑Matsuyama Station in Saitama, Yakyu Inari Shrine dates back to 712 CE but is best known today as Japan’s “Baseball Shrine.” The shrine’s name, “Yakyū” (箭弓), is pronounced the same as the Japanese word for baseball (野球). That coincidence has turned this quiet Inari shrine into a pilgrimage site for Little Leaguers, Koshien hopefuls, and professional stars who come to pray for batting confidence, stingy ERAs, and injury‑free seasons.

Traditional fox statues and vermilion torii still frame the grounds, yet most visitors head straight to the baseball‑themed corners. Home‑plate‑shaped prayer boards, racks of bat and glove charms, and walls lined with signed plaques reveal decades of diamond devotion. Local high‑school teams stop for blessings on their way to regional qualifiers, and Saitama Seibu Lions players have been spotted tying wishes alongside weekend sandlot sluggers.

Home‑Plate & Bat Ema Racks

Just left of the main hall, two oversized wooden frames resemble a batter’s box. One is packed with home‑plate ema, the other with bat‑shaped plaques arranged like a neat dugout line‑up. Each board features hand‑drawn mascots, score predictions, and signatures. Coaches often bring entire rosters to hang matching plaques before tournaments, turning the racks into a living team photo and a snapshot of collective hope.

Baseball Prayer Plaques and Omamori

In front of the worship hall, a kiosk sells ema shaped like baseballs, bats, gloves, and home plates for about 800 yen each. Visitors jot wishes such as “Win Koshien” or “Hit .300” and hang the plaques on lattice racks that echo backstop fencing. The same kiosk offers portable omamori charms. A bat‑shaped charm slips into an equipment bag or bat sleeve, while a glove‑shaped charm clips to the strap of a fielder’s glove or gear bag so its blessing travels onto the field.

Pilgrimage of Pros & Teams

From the Saitama Seibu Lions to visiting NPB squads, professional players regularly bow at the cedar offering box before spring camps and pennant races. High‑school contenders add a stop here en route to Koshien, and Little League parents queue at season start to ask for sure‑handed gloves and lively bats. Inside the administration hall, signed baseballs, plaques, and newspaper clippings document decades of these pilgrimages, proving that even the greats welcome a little divine help between the lines.

Tour Yakyu Inari Shrine

A stop at Yakyu Inari takes about 30–45 minutes and is free. From Higashi‑Matsuyama Station’s west exit, follow the bat‑shaped paving markers for roughly 400 metres to the torii‑lined entrance. After a quiet bow at the main hall, detour to the Guinness‑record 1.42‑metre wooden stamp, snap photos under the tunnel of vermilion gates, and look for the intertwined “married trees” that symbolize lasting unity.

Peony blooms in spring, wind‑chime canopies in summer, and lantern‑lit hatsumode crowds in early January provide seasonal touches. These events add fresh color throughout the year. Before leaving, pick up a goshuin stamp for your temple book and choose a baseball ema or omamori to carry the shrine’s blessings back onto the field.

Explore U.S. and Canada baseball attractions: