Yasaka Shrine is most likely to have been founded in 656. It began when Susanoo-no-mikoto, who had been enshrined on Mt. Gozu in the Korean kingdom of Silla, was enshrined in Yasaka village in Atago district, Yamashiro Province, Japan.
In 869, when epidemics were spreading across Japan, people worshipped the deity of Yasaka Shrine and prayed for the disasters to end — said to be the origin of the Gion Matsuri festival. In the Heian period it was counted among the 22 most important shrines and came to be revered by people across the country.
Today the shrine enshrines a number of deities, including Susanoo-no-mikoto, Kushinadahime-no-mikoto and the eight Yahashira-no-mikogami. Around 3,000 shrines across Japan enshrine the deities of Yasaka Shrine.
Blessings of Yasaka Shrine
- Good relationships and matchmaking
- Beauty
- Health
- Purification from bad luck
- Protection from misfortune
- Cutting off bad relationships
Information
- Yasaka Shrine
- Address: 625 Gion-machi Kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
- Phone: 075-561-6155
- Open every day of the year, 24 hours
- Admission: free
- Website: http://www.yasaka-jinja.or.jp
- Information is as of the original Japanese article (2020). Please check the official website for the latest details before visiting.
Reporting: 山下大輔 / Text: EeNa editorial team
