Chichibu Shrine, Hodosan Shrine and Mitsumine Shrine are known as the Three Shrines of Chichibu. Chichibu's Shrine honors several gods, and its history stretches back more than 2,000 years. In 1592, Tokugawa Ieyasu rebuilt the main shrine building that can be seen today.

There are many beautiful sculptures located at the shrine, including several by the famous sculptor Hidari Jingoro who created many of the most famous carvings at Nikko. His works at Chichibu shrine include 'The Connecting Dragon', 'The Tiger Parent' and 'The Owl of the North Star'.

Each year, two spectacular festivals take place at Chichibu Shrine; the 'Festival of the River Rapids', which takes place on July 19th and 20th, while the 'Chichibu Night Festival' is held on December 2nd and 3rd. While both are extremely popular and well known, the Chichibu Night Festival ranks with the Kyoto Gion Festival and Hida-Takayama Festival as one of the three largest hikiyama (traditional Japanese float) festivals in Japan. These festivals carry over 300 years of tradition and are widely attended from all reaches of Japan