Shrines Archives - Deep Kyoto

Seimei Jinja Shrine

October 30, 2017 By Michael Lambe

Last summer I happened to be up in Kamigyo-ku Ward in north-west Kyoto and took the opportunity to visit Seimei Jinja Shrine. This is a little shrine, and easily missed, but it has a very special character and history, and I had long wanted to take a look at it.

*The entrance to Seimei Jinja – with a pentagram above the gate.*

You will notice as soon as you arrive here the ubiquitous design of the five-pointed star or pentagram. This is the symbol of the legendary wizard, Abe no Seimei to whom this temple is dedicated.

*A statue of Abe no Seimei at the shrine. Notice his shiny feet.*

Abe no Seimei was a follower of the yin-yang arts (called onmyōdo in Japanese) who lived between 921 and 1005 AD. He was an accomplished astrologer, mystic, diviner, and political advisor in Heian era Kyoto, and his symbol the Seiman – or pentagram – is derived from the five elements which formed an integral part of his esoteric cosmology.

*Pictures depicting Seimei’s semi-legendary life decorate the shrine walls. Here he is as a young lad with his mother, a magical shape-shifting fox spirit.*

Abe no Semei’s official title was onmyōji, which literally means priest of shadow and light (or yin-yang master). After he died (on October 31st!) the Emperor Ichijo had this shrine built in his honor, on the grounds of Seimei’s former home. In legend, literature, manga, anime, and film Seimei has been recorded as a powerful occult magician, and only half-human because it is a popular belief that his mother was a kitsune or magical shape-shifting fox spirit.

*A sacred well marked with a pentagram.*

*Yin-yang on a drainage cover. Perhaps to ward off evil from below?*

*This gnome-like figure represents a shikigami – a kind of wizard’s familiar.*

Now I like to think of myself as a rationalist, and I am not a great believer in mystical “power spots”, but Seimei Jinja does have a remarkable and unique atmosphere. I wouldn’t describe it as a creepy atmosphere, in fact quite the opposite, there was a profoundly peaceful stillness here – which was odd because it is just off the main road with lots of traffic passing by. Nevertheless, once inside the shrine, there is a noticeable and very pleasant feeling of tranquility that hangs about the place, and it definitely made an impression on me.

*Worshippers at the shrine. Note the sacred camphor tree which is said to be about 300 years old.*

If you happen to be in the area, I would recommend popping by Seimei Jinja. Pay your respects to the old wizard, and have a quick rub of the shiny peach in front of the main shrine building. It is said to ward off misfortune – and that’s why it is so shiny!

Seimei Jinja is located on the west side of Horikawa Doori Street, a 3 minute walk south of Imadegawa Doori. It is convenient for the Raku Museum, Nishijin Textile Center, and Kyoto Brighton Hotel. Semei Matsuri Festival is held here every year during the autumn equinox. Here is a MAP of the location.

Fujinomori Festival & Kakeuma Shinji – Acrobatic Horseback Riding

April 30, 2015 By Michael Lambe

Trick riders at Fujinomori Shrine get ready to awe the crowds.

Mewby and I caught this festival last year and for sheer excitement it can’t be beat. I highly recommend you catch this event on May 5th.

A parade from Fujinomori Shrine arrives at Fushimi Inari Taisha

Earlier that morning (from around 10.30) we saw mikoshi (portable shrines) from Fujinomori Shrine carried in a parade to Fushimi Inari Taisha. It was raining but that did not dampen the spirits of the people carrying the mikoshi – they all had beers waiting for them in ice buckets at Fushimi Inari.

The main part of this festival though is the renowned “Kakeuma Shinji” (駈馬神事) at Fujinomori Shrine. This is an acrobatic horseback riding ritual, held on May 5th every year. Participants perform all kinds of crazy stunts whilst galloping full tilt through the shrine grounds. I’ve read that the stunts performed are derived from techniques used in battle, but it is hard to conceive of what practical use these tricks would be, except maybe to distract your enemy with thoughts of “Wow, you’re really cool”. Upside down, side saddle, tossing paper streamers – if you can imagine it, they do it – and the cheering crowds are left gasping in admiration.

All the riders are from families who have been performing these stunts for generations. The older gentleman at the end of the video below was performing his last stunt before retiring.

The stunt riding takes place at 1 o’clock and 3 o’clock (each time lasting for about an hour). I’d recommend getting to this event early, as it packs out pretty quick. Fujinomori Shrine is a 5 minute walk from JR Fujinomori Station on the JR Nara Line, or a 7 minute walk from Sumizome Station on the Keihan Line. Here is a MAP.

Kerria at Matsuo Taisha

April 23, 2015 By Michael Lambe

After the cherry blossoms fall, successive waves of spring flowers vie for our attentions. At Matsuo Taisha bright gold kerria, known as “yamabuki” in Japanese, are in full bloom right now.

We went to see them last year, but for some reason I never got around to posting the pictures – until now.

Matsuo Taisha, (formally called Matsu-no-O Taisha), is said to have been founded in 701 AD, thus predating Kyoto itself and may even be the oldest of Kyoto’s shrines (though a few shrines make this claim).

The yamabuki or kerria, are certainly lovely. Yamabuki is sometimes translated as “Japanese yellow rose”, but I find this misleading. They bear no relation to roses, and don’t resemble them in the slightest. Besides kerria is quite a pretty name, don’t you think?

Entry to the outer grounds of the shrine is free. This is where the kerria is (in massive quantities).

There is also an inner garden which you have to pay to get into, but I wouldn’t bother. It is rather disappointing. This is what the inner garden looks like at its best.

But basically it is quite an ugly and haphazard assortment of rocks quite lacking in any sense of grace or aesthetic design.

What is worse, there is very little sense of care about this garden. The whole place seems very sloppily presented with working tools left lying around the place, and walkways that look like this.

IMG_5824 (Medium) — A rather oddly designed walkway. Watch your head!

There seemed to be a lot of plastic wire and piping lying around too, with sections of the garden separated by sloppily tacked together sheets of plywood.

IMG_5828 (Medium) — Just some of the random stuff left lying around the inner garden of Matsuo Taisha.

On my way in to the shrine I spotted some patriotic posters preaching national pride. The one on the left says “I’m so glad I am Japanese!” and the one on the right reads “Let’s raise the Hi-no-Maru!”. The Hi-no-Maru is of course Japan’s national flag.

It seemed very telling that those who speak loudest of love of country and national pride, cannot properly tend to their own patch of garden. Really, where is the pride in that?

Stick to the outer grounds of the shrine if you visit Matsuo Taisha.

I enjoyed Matsuo Taisha for the kerria. They are very much worth seeing. Give the inner garden a miss though. I found that rather depressing.

This shrine sits right by Matsuo station which is easily reached on the Hankyu line. From Kawaramachi station it takes about 16 minutes with one change at Katsura. Check Jorudan for details. Here is a map of the location.

You can read more about the history of Matsuo Taisha on John Dougill’s very excellent Green Shinto blog.

Maiko at Yasaka Jinja

February 3, 2015 By Michael Lambe

Maiko, Kyoto’s apprentice geisha, at Yasaka Jinja today celebrating Setsubun.

Both the maiko and the crowds were awfully excited about those lucky beans... — Both the maiko and the crowds were awfully excited about those lucky beans…

Setsubun is celebrated at Yasaka Jinja every year in both the 2nd and 3rd of February, though the festival proper is on the 3rd. To learn more about the traditions associated with Setsubun read John Dougill’s marvellous blog: Green Shinto.

Snow on Shimogamo Shrine, Kyoto

January 4, 2015 By Michael Lambe

The past couple of days in Kyoto have seen the city’s heaviest snowfall in over 50 years – which of course makes for a lot of splendid photo opportunities. One of my essential visits each January is to Shimogamo Shrine, a shrine older than the city itself and my personal favorite. I make a point of coming here for hatsumōde (初詣 – a first shrine visit) every year. Here are some pictures from today’s visit. Covered in its white mantle the north of Kyoto was breathtaking!

This was the view upon arrival at Demachiyanagi.

We crossed the river and entered the woods of Tadasu no Mori. It is the last remnant of a primeval forest which is said to have never been cut or burned down.

IMG_0738 (Medium) — “Tadasu no Mori” means “forest of correction”. In Heian times nobles would meet here to settle disputes as it was said to be a place where you could not tell a lie.

Near the southern entrance of the forest is a small sub-shrine called Kawai Jinja.

At Kawai Jinja there is a reconstruction of Kamo no Chomei's hut. Kamo no Chomei was a 12th century poet and hermit and the author of the very wonderful Hōjōki - “An Account from a Hut Ten-Foot Square”. — At Kawai Jinja there is a reconstruction of Kamo no Chomei’s hut. Kamo no Chomei was a 12th century poet and hermit and the author of the very wonderful Hōjōki – “An Account from a Hut Ten-Foot Square”.

Kamo no Chomei's original hut was up in the mountains. Can you imagine how cold he would have been in winter! — Kamo no Chomei’s original hut was up in the mountains. Can you imagine how cold he would have been in winter!

IMG_0726 (Medium) — This shell was bestowed upon the shrine by the emperor on the occasion of Japan’s great victory in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5. This together with a huge hi-no-maru flag hanging proudly at the entrance, and the instruction at the shrine altar to pray for the emperor, gave me the impression this shrine is firmly in the nationalist camp.

IMG_0735 (Medium) — At New Year’s there are always plenty of food stalls set up in the Tadasu no Mori woods that surround the shrine, but it is far less crowded (and the food is cheaper) than the more popular Fushimi Inari Taisha.

The entrance to Shimogamo Shrine proper.

The shimenawa ropes that decorate this rock siginify that it is venerated as the dwelling place of kami - the Shinto gods. — The shimenawa ropes that decorate this rock siginify that it is venerated as the dwelling place of kami – the Shinto gods.

At the entrance a blazing fire warms people up.

Shimogamo Jinja is one of the oldest shrines in Japan and is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The main altars had long queues so we went to a small side altar to say our New Year's prayers... — The main altars had long queues so we went to a small side altar to say our New Year’s prayers…

Shimogamo Jinja is said to date from the 6th century; older even than Kyoto itself.

To greet the new year, the shrine always displays a wonderful picture of the current year's zodiac animal. — To greet the new year, the shrine always displays a wonderful picture of the current year’s zodiac animal.

Happy New Year to all and best wishes for 2015 – the Year of the Sheep!

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You can find the Shimogamo Shrine complex a hop, skip and a jump over the Kamo river to the west of Demachiyanagi Sation. Here is a map of its location.

Update – January 6th: We actually bumped into John Dougill at the entrance to Shimogamo and his pictures from his visit are now up on Green Shinto.

Greeting the New Year in Kyoto

December 30, 2014 By Michael Lambe

Kurodani - New Year's Eve 2010 — Kurodani – New Year’s Eve 2010

For the last post of 2014, let us return to a piece first written by our good friend, John Dougill in 2010. That year I followed John’s advice by paying a visit to both Kurodani and Shimogamo Shrine on New Year’s Eve, and so I am reposting some photos from that night too. It had been snowing quite heavily on the 31st, so Kurodani in particular was really beautiful; all dressed up in white like a fairytale.

John Dougill writes…

The true soul of Japan is neither Shinto nor Buddhist. It’s Shinto-Buddhist. Until the artificial split of early Meiji times, the country had more than 1000 years of happy syncretism. Born Shinto, die Buddhist is the Japanese way.

Shinto is this-worldly, concerned with rites of passage and social well-being. Buddhism is other-worldly, concerned with individual salvation. At New Year the two religions come together like yin and yang, either side of midnight. Buddhism sees out the death of the old; Shinto celebrates the birth of the new. Joya-no-kane (tolling of the bell) gives way to Hatsumode (first visit of the year).

To get the full feel of a Kyoto New Year, you need to be syncretic too. In the dying minutes of the year, go hear the bell at a Buddhist temple. By tradition it is rung 108 times once for every attachment that plagues the human condition. Then head for a shrine to pick up arrow and amulets for protection through the coming year.

With over 3000 temples and shrines in Kyoto, you’re spoilt for choice. A popular but crowded combination is Chion-in and Yasaka Jinja. File up the hill to watch the young priests at the temple acrobatically swing on ropes to ring the bell. Then head down to the shrine to get twisted bamboo lit with the sacred Okera fire. It will purify your home.

Personally I prefer the open space of Kurodani, where the bell booms soulfully over the nearby hillside. Open fires give off a warm glow, which you can add to with heated sake before lining up to ring the bell. Afterwards a twenty-minute walk leads through dark and dozing streets to the wooded surrounds of Shimogamo Jinja.

Shimogamo Shrine in the early hours of January 1st 2011

Suddenly there are laughing voices, bright kimono, and gaudy lights. Aspiring yakuza sell candy floss and goldfish. Here all is jollity and smiles. ‘Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu’ rings out on every side. At the shrine people toss coins over the heads of those in front into the offertory boxes. With the blessing of the kami, this too will be a happy New Year. A happy Kyoto New Year!

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Text by John Dougill. Photographs by Michael Lambe

About John Dougill

John Dougill is professor of British Studies at Kyoto’s Ryukoku University and the author of Kyoto: A Cultural History, In Search of the Hidden Christians, and Japan’s World Heritage Sites. He is also a contributor to our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks.
John also keeps a regular blog, Green Shinto (www.greenshinto.com). Born in the UK to a Czech mother and a Yorkshire Viking, he studied Russian and Slavic Studies at university. However, a lust for wandering took him to the Middle East, where he married a Yemeni, before travelling around the world for a year. He set up house in Oxford, but fate intervened to send him to Kanazawa where he was a lone gaijin on the backside of Japan, dreaming of one day teaching in Kyoto. Now he has to pinch himself every morning as he looks up from his bed at Daimonji. When not playing chess, writing haiku or walking along the Kamogawa, he works as professor of Cultural Studies at Ryukoku University.

World Heritage Kyoto by John Dougill

October 29, 2014 By Michael Lambe

Our good friend, John Dougill, recently published a wonderful (and beautifully illustrated) book on Japan’s World Heritage Sites. Today he has been good enough to write a guest post on the many World Heritage properties of Kyoto, with some excellent personal recommendations.

To research my book on Japan’s World Heritage Sites, I travelled the length of Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa to visit all the 17 sites. (With the recent addition of Tomioka Silk Mill there are now 18.) It’s a peculiarity of Unesco registration that a single one of Japan’s sites – namely Kyoto – boasts no fewer than 17 ‘properties’, each of which can claim to be a World Heritage site in its own right.

Kyoto was capital of Japan for over 1000 years, and in its river basin was fostered much of the country’s culture: courtly aesthetics, Zen, Noh, the tea ceremony, Kabuki, Ikebana, and geisha arts. Small wonder that the city is recognised worldwide as a glittering gem. ‘Kyoto embodies all the values that Unesco treasures,’ declared Director General, Irina Bokova. ‘It is blessed by glorious nature. It has many intangible assets, like the Gion Festival. And it has wonderful people.’

In 1994 the ‘Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)’ was officially registered as a World Heritage site. The cumbersome title allows for the inclusion of Enryaku-ji on Mt Hiei, which lies within the boundaries of Otsu City, as well as Byodo-in and Ujigami Shrine in the small town of Uji. Altogether there are 13 Buddhist temples, 3 Shinto shrines and 1 castle. Or put another way, there are over 200 buildings and gardens of the highest aesthetic and cultural significance. They include well-known places for which people fly across the world – the Golden and Silver Pavilions, Nijo Castle, Kiyomizu Temple, the Ryoanji rock garden, etc.

Yet there are also obscure properties, unfamiliar even to people who live in Kyoto. Take Ujigami Jinja, for instance, or Kozan-ji. Who would have thought these modest places would outrank such omissions as Daitoku-ji, Fushimi Inari, Katsura Villa or the Gion geisha district? The list of places left out could easily match those that have been included, which begs the question: how exactly did the 17 properties get selected? It’s a question I tried to enquire into, without ever getting a satisfactory answer.

So apart from the obvious, what are my tips for visitors? Two underrated places are Ninna-ji and Daigo-ji, which belong to the Shingon sect of Buddhism. ‘No, not another temple’ is a common complaint of visitors to Kyoto, but sites such as these are much more than places of worship. In fact, you could easily enjoy both of them without even stepping into a temple hall.

Ninna-ji contains the Omuro Palace that exemplifies the aristocratic lifestyle of former times. Covered corridors; fusuma paintings; ancient tea houses; gorgeous garden and exquisite view over pond and pagoda. Nearby is a grove of late flowering cherry blossom, named after the palace.

Daigo-ji too has an attractive villa named Sambon-in, though technically it’s a subtemple. The ruggedness of the garden reflects samurai values and is filled with rocks assembled by Hideyoshi from all over Japan. Nearby, within the precincts proper, is Kyoto’s most ancient pagoda and a picturesque Benten pond to which photographers throng in spring and autumn.

In addition to the man-made beauty both sites provide access to the wildness of the surrounds, where nature is augmented by a spiritual dimension. At Ninna-ji if you exit by the north-west gate, there is a miniature 88-temple pilgrimage which winds around a hill. And at Daigo-ji you can walk uphill for an hour from Lower Daigo to Upper Daigo, where a collection of ancient buildings has connections with Shugendo (mountain asceticism).

Those of us who live in Kyoto know that it would be well-nigh impossible to visit in their entirety all the gardens, temples, shrines, museums, villas, festivals and other items of interest with which the city is blessed. The historical associations and buildings which once housed the great figures of the past mean that Kyoto is far more than merely the proud possessor of 17 Unesco ‘properties’. It’s surely a World Heritage Site in itself!

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Text and pictures by John Dougill. John Dougill is professor of British Studies at Kyoto’s Ryukoku University and the author of Kyoto: A Cultural History, In Search of the Hidden Christians, and Japan’s World Heritage Sites. He is also a contributor to our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks.

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Kyoto’s 17 World Heritage ‘properties’, in no particular order

ujigami 2 — Purification at Ujigami Shrine

– Kamigamo Shrine
– Shimogamo Shrine
– Toji Temple
– Kiyomizu Temple
– (Hieizan) Enryakuji Temple
– Daigoji Temple
– Ninnaji Temple
– Byodoin Temple
– Ujigami Shrine
– Kozanji Temple
– Kokedera/Moss Temple
– Tenryuji Temple
– Kinkakuji Temple/Golden Pavilion
– Ginkakuji Temple/Silver Pavilion
– Ryoanji Temple
– Nishi-Honganji Temple
– Nijo Castle

Wisteria at Sandai Shrine, Shiga

May 9, 2014 By Michael Lambe

Sandai Shrine (三大神社) is a small shrine near Kusatsu in Shiga Prefecture, with a very impressive garden of trailing wisteria. If you want to see them for yourself then you had better go soon. They were pretty much peaking when we went a couple of days ago.

To get there, take a JR train from Kyoto Station to Kusatsu (410 yen for a 20 minute journey – see Jorudan for schedules) and then catch a bus from outside the west exit to Kitaogayacho (北大萱町). The fare is 270 yen and the bus only takes 11 minutes. From there it’s another 10 minute walk to the shrine.
Once there, join the throngs trying to get that perfect shot of wisteria glory.
Anyway,the flowers are beautiful and totally worth a trip out there. I actually overheard an old lady in a wheelchair saying that it was the first time in her life she had seen wisteria like this. She seemed rather moved, as was I after overhearing her…

Cherry Blossoms at Hirano Shrine

April 10, 2014 By Michael Lambe

Last weekend we visited Hirano Shrine, famous for it’s cherry blossoms.

They have a lot of yatai food stalls set up there for the cherry blossom festival.

And above them all and around them a gorgeous cloud of pink and white cherry blossom.

“As court nobles donated cherry trees handed down in each family from ancient times, there are approximately 400 cherry trees of about 50 kinds.”

“Early-opening flowers come into bloom in the middle of March while those blooming latest are at their best around April 20. Therefore people can enjoy cherry blossoms for about a month at this shrine.”

It’s not always easy to get that perfect shot…

But I think these aren’t bad.

Hirano Shrine is located just a little further north from Kitano-Tenmangu on Nishioji Street. Here is a MAP.

Even the hardest hearts will melt at the sight of Jonangu’s plum blossoms.

March 14, 2014 By Michael Lambe

I think it is safe to say that the weeping plum blossoms at Jonangu Shrine were at their peak when we visited last Sunday.

Jonangu lies to the south of Kyoto, about 15 minutes walk from Takeda Station, which can be reached on either the Kintetsu or Karasuma Subway lines. When a shrine was originally built here in Heian times the area around it would presumably have been open countryside and farmland, but today it is a sorry mix of grimy commuter housing and love hotels. All the more the gardens feel a haven of peace and tranquility when you arrive.
[Read more…]

Bean Pelting, Devils & Fiery Charms – Setsubun in Kyoto!

January 31, 2014 By Michael Lambe

Setsubun is an old festival for seeing out the hardships of winter and welcoming in the spring, symbolized in the ritual act of throwing beans at mask clad devils… 鬼は外福は内! (“oni wa soto! fuku wa uchi!” – “devils out, and good luck in!“) people cry while pelting their lucky beans till the demonic forces beat a retreat. There are a variety of sites around town where you can join in with devil dances and bean throwing ceremonies which I shall list below.

Yoshida Shrine (see the poster above) holds the biggest Setsubun festival in Kyoto. The festival lasts for three days from the 2nd to the 4th. Highlights are the driving out of the evil spirits from 6pm on the evening of the 2nd and the fire festival from 11 pm on the 3rd. A huge bonfire is lit with piled up amulets, papers and charms – and when I say huge I mean it. It really is quite dramatic. As with most festivals there are 屋台 (yatai – food stalls) galore lining the route to the shrine, so there’s plenty to eat and drink. See details at the Yoshida Shrine website (Japanese): http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~yosida/setubunsai.htm
To get there take Kyoto City Bus #206 and get off at Kyodai Seimon-mae. Here is a MAP.

Other Setsubun locations:
Yasaka Shrine
Here you get to see Maiko and Geiko throwing the beans! Bean pelting and traditional dances will occur at various times on both the 2nd & 3rd of February as ladies from different districts come to perform. Times on the 2nd are: 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. On the 3rd the times are 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 4pm.
To get there take Kyoto City Bus #206, and get off at Gion. Here is a MAP. Website (Japanese): http://www.yasaka-jinja.or.jp/event/setsubun.html

Heian Shrine
February 3rd: From 12pm there is a Kyogen traditional comedy performance and bean pelting from 3pm. Sweet sake served free all day.
To get there take Kyoto City Bus #5 and get off at Kyoto Kaikan Bijutsukan-mae. Here is a MAP. Japanese/English website: www.heianjingu.or.jp/

Rozan-ji Temple
February 3rd: Here you can see devil dancing from 3pm and bean pelting from 4pm. Old charms will be burned in a bonfire from 5pm.
To get there take Kyoto City Bus #205 and get off at Furitsu Idai Byoin-mae. Here is a MAP. Japanese website: www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~rozanji/

If you know of other Setsubun events around town, please list them in the comments! Here’s a video of Yoshida Shrine’s raging inferno to get you in the mood:

Shinto – Deities, Shrines and Symbols

March 21, 2012 By Michael Lambe

The Sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikami emerges from a cave, bringing sunlight back to the world. This print by Utagawa Kunisada is in the public domain.

Ian Ropke writes,

Shinto is Japan’s original religion and today it maintains a strong position next to the country’s other main religion: Buddhism. It is interesting to note that nearly all Japanese do not even know what the word Shinto means. The word Shinto comes from the Chinese characters: god and path. Elegantly translated Shinto means The Way of the Gods. Today, if you want to get onto the subject of Shinto you more or less have to begin talking to people about the world of the jinja or shrine.

Shinto for the average Japanese of today is a world of superstitious beliefs and practices that most people do. Few understand very much about the religion and this is understandable as there are basically no holy texts. Shinto has no real founder, no religious laws and only a very loosely organized hierarchy of priests. It is a religion of the wild world of nature, of which humans are just one tiny part.

Izanami and Izanagi by Kobayashi Eitaku — Izanami and Izanagi, a public domain painting by Kobayashi Eitaku

Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion. Evidence indicates that its main beliefs came into existence before 500 BC. These beliefs are a combination of many things: nature worship, shamanism, fertility cults, and techniques for divining the future. Until the end of WWII, the Emperor of Japan was regarded as one of the many gods or kami in the Shinto pantheon. He descended to earth from heaven as the kami that would live among men.

The divine couple, Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, gave birth to the islands of Japan and their other children became the deities of Japan’s many clans or tribes. Their daughter, Amaterasu Omikami (the Sun Goddess) is the mother of the Imperial family. Her shrine at Ise is one of the largest in Japan and the emperor journeys there every year to pay his respects. Indeed, much of the emperor’s yearly life revolves around the many rituals and ceremonies that he, as a god, has been performing throughout the year for over 1,500 years. [Read more…]

Kasagake at Kamigamo on October 16th

October 13, 2011 By Michael Lambe

Deer-skinned horse riders deciding their turn by lottery

John Dougill writes,

There were traditionally three styles of horseback archery carried out for the entertainment of the kami. The most well-known is Yabusame, in which galloping riders shoot at a fixed target. Much rarer is Kasagake, to be performed this Sunday at Kamigamo Jinja. The other style involved firing at live dogs: thank goodness, it’s no longer practised.

There is mention of Kasagake being carried out at Kamigamo Shrine some eight hundred years ago. Previously it had simply been a martial art, designed to improve battle skills. Legend has it that it began with Emperor Jimmu who used his helmet as a target. It was adapted as a shrine entertainment, and then died out.

In 2004 Kamigamo revived the ritual, and it is carried out by the Takeda-ryu school of horseback archers. Among the riders are descendants of the Kamo clan, who settled the Kyoto basin in pre-Heian times. The event begins and ends with the banging of a drum, following which a procession of colourfully costumed officials gather for a purification ceremony. The head rider then performs a Heaven and Earth ritual, by circling his horse first to the left and then to the right to summon yin-yang forces, before aiming a symbolic arrow upwards and downwards to ward off evil spirits.

Opening ritual - shooting towards the ground

There are ten riders in all, separated into two groups. Unusually for such an event there are women riders and the order of the riders is decided by lottery. On the first run through the riders fire at three targets at shoulder height. On the return run they fire at two targets set near the ground. The number of hits is recorded and announced over the tannoy. Once the results are in, the best five are put through into a second round, when the targets get smaller. Amazingly, this means that at a fairly high speed they fire at something little bigger than a saucer.

As part of the shrine’s outreach to foreigners, it provides an English-language commentary along with the Japanese, performed by Inui Mitsutaka who worked for a while with the International Shinto Foundation in New York. There’s much here that tells of the values of Shinto. The celebration of tradition. The entertainment for ancestral deities. The treasuring of skill and precision. Confucian and Taoist influences are evident, while the white horse on display brings to mind the importance of the animal as an emissary of the kami. They say Buddhism in Japan is a religion of the living concerned with death. Shinto on the other hand focuses on dead spirits but is concerned with life. Here in the galloping horses is a case in point.

Sacred white horse at Kamigamo (only to be seen at festivals and holidays) — The sacred white horse at Kamigamo (only to be seen at festivals and holidays)

The festival begins at 13.00. Details about the shrine and how to reach it can be found here: http://www.kamigamojinja.jp/english/index.html

Tel 075-781-0011

Fax 075-702-6618

Nice short of video of it here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqoOEDyAvNM

Text and images by John Dougill.John Dougill is professor of British Studies at Kyoto’s Ryukoku University and the author of Kyoto: A Cultural History, In Search of the Hidden Christians, and Japan’s World Heritage Sites. He is also a contributor to our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks. You can read his previous articles for Deep Kyoto here, and his blog Green Shinto at http://greenshinto.com/.

Karasu Sumo at Kamigamo Shrine on September 9

August 24, 2011 By Michael Lambe

John Dougill writes,

Priests hopping and cawing like crows. Seven year old kids doing sumo. What’s that all got to do with Shinto, you may wonder?

Kamigamo Jinja is Kyoto’s greenest shrine and probably the oldest. It was established by the Kamo clan long before Kammu founded the capital in 794. One of the clan, according to legend, helped guide Emperor Jimmu across Kii Hanto and was known as yatagarasu (the three-legged crow). Personally, I take this to mean he was a shaman of the Crow People, who settled in Kyoto after immigrating from Korea. Their descendants still live in the area around Kamigamo.

Preparing to Crow — Bowing to the sacred mounds

At the festival the priests sit in front of two mounds of earth, which represent the sacred hill onto which the shrine’s kami, Kamo Wake-ikazuchi, first descended. The hill, known as Koyama, lies north of the shrine and every year there is a secret ceremony there to reenact the shamanic rites of old.

But why are there two mounds? Interestingly, this recreates the two mounds that stand permanently inside the middle torii. Priests at the shrine say that they represent yin and yang, but they could well signify the theme of renewal in Shinto. At Ise, for instance, a new shrine is built adjacent to the old shrine for the kami to move into. Perhaps the two mounds here act in similar symbolic manner.

Parade of the sumo wrestlers — Parade of the (mini) sumo wrestlers

The day’s rituals start with the offering of chrysanthemum flowers at 10.00, following which participants proceed from the worship hall to the arena. A colourfully costumed young girl representing the historical saio (imperial princess) presides over events. The initial rites include the shooting of arrows to dispel evil spirits, after which two of the priests do their crow performance.

The climax is the children’s sumo, put on for the entertainment of the kami. There are two teams, and each boy gets to wrestle two times. The atmosphere can become quite heated, and the crowd usually gets behind the little toddler struggling against a bigger opponent. Cameras flash from all directions. By the end you may feel just as happy as the kami that this ancient tradition has been preserved so long.

Text and images by John Dougill. John Dougill is professor of British Studies at Kyoto’s Ryukoku University and the author of Kyoto: A Cultural History, In Search of the Hidden Christians, and Japan’s World Heritage Sites. He is also a contributor to our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks. You can read his previous articles for Deep Kyoto here, and his blog Green Shinto at http://greenshinto.com/.

(For a video of the priests crowing, see http://chrenee.blogspot.com/2007/09/karasu-sumo-festival.html)