Founded in 678, Kamigamo Shrine (Kita-ku, Kyoto) is said to be the oldest shrine in Kyoto and is registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Its official name is Kamo-wakeikazuchi Jinja. The enshrined deity, Kamo-wakeikazuchi-no-okami, has long been revered as a guardian against disaster, the protector of the imperial capital and the guardian of the unlucky northeast direction. The Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto’s three great festivals, is held at Kamigamo Shrine every year on May 15.
The sand cones called tatesuna are modeled on the sacred mountain where Kamo-wakeikazuchi-no-okami is said to have descended, and the shrine is also famous as the origin of “purifying sand”.
The shrine’s greatest power spot is the Iwagami rock. It is an important place where priests recite prayers, and it is marked off as a sacred space by a shimenawa rope.
The Nara-no-ogawa stream flows through the grounds and is a sacred place where Aoi Matsuri rituals are held. Tamayorihime-no-mikoto, the mother of Kamo-wakeikazuchi-no-okami, is a guardian of women who brings blessings for good relationships. The author Murasaki Shikibu is said to have visited in search of love, and the shrine is very popular with women.
Blessings
- Good relationships and matchmaking
- Good fortune
- Victory
- Protection of the electrical industry
- Warding off bad luck
Information
- Kamigamo Shrine (Kamo-wakeikazuchi Jinja)
- Address: 339 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto
- Phone: 075-781-0011
- Website: https://www.kamigamojinja.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
