Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja

In the dense forests of Yamanashi Prefecture, just outside of the city of Fuji Yoshida, Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja is the shrine marking the northern path leading to the summit of Mt. Fuji. The shrine is dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime, the goddess of all volcanoes across Japan. It’s not known when exactly the shrine was first established, but this shrine is one of over a thousand across Japan, and some of them date back to the Yayoi Period.

For the educated: 10. For the casual: 10.

Let’s start with the crucial and inequivocal truth: this is the shrine to Mt. Fuji. This is it! This is where, for centuries, pilgrims would recieve blessings to climb the mountain and have their faith rewarded via the steep incline. Beneath ancient pines, visitors can walk the long straight up to the first gate, then through to the inner shrine to pray. I visited just after New Years, and the lines to pray were so long we were sorted into groups, then subdivided again, then directed to a place to stand to wait our turn to pray. It was one hell of an ordeal, but worth every moment.

 

Takeisao Jinja (Kenkun Jinja)

Takeisao Jinja, also known as Kenkun Jinja, is a shrine atop Funaoka-san in northern Kyoto. While it seemed to me like this shrine, like so many others in Kyoto, had been built centuries ago in days of antiquity and aristocracy, in actuality this shrine was built in 1869 at the command of Emperor Meiji. Even more surprising, it’s a shrine dedicated to none other than Oda Nobunaga, the first of the Three Great Unifiers of medieval Japan. Oda had been cremated at Daitokuji just north of the mountain and his spirit was going to be enshrined by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but the shrine was never built until Emperor Meiji. Takeisao Jinja now serves the enshrined spirit of Oda Nobunaga as a deity of ambition and success, while also enshrining the Black Warrior, a mythical turtle with a snake for a tail. The Black Warrior is one of the four cardinal deities central to imperial city planning, personifying the auspicious mountains in the north that guard the emperor from attack (see my post in “Others” regarding Heijo-kyô).

For the educated: 6. For the casual: 4.

I really thought this shrine would be older, and was surprised when I read it wasn’t. Usually when a shrine is built on a bluff in a city, it’s usually to spot fires. Ok, onto the shrine itself.

This shrine is a lovely place to visit with lovely views and easy access. It really is just down the road from Kinkakuji. The layout itself is on the smaller size, and apart from praying there’s not much to do, but what I really enjoyed was the atmosphere. Healthy trees, nice views, and minimal disturbances left a very warm impression on me. This isn’t a shrine anyone needs to see, but considering it’s location it feels worth the effort the make the time if you’re in the area.

 

Imamiya Jinja

Imamiya Jinja is an old shrine just north east of Kinkakuji in northern Kyoto. Though the shrine’s founding has no official date, it was noted that the shrine was standing before the imperial capital moved to Kyoto (Heian-kyô) in 794 C.E. Imamiya Jinja is a shrine that specialized in granting wishes regarding good health and recovering from illness, and several satellite shrines that bring good luck to the traditional silk weaving community that still weave in the surrounding neighborhood.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 4.

I have to say, I was surprised that I didn’t know about this shrine when I first visited Kyoto in 2015. I had done my research for temples and shrines in the area, and I was certainly nearby to see Kinkakuji, but I never knew about this hidden beauty in the quieter streets of the city. I know it’s a cliché to say it’s a hidden beauty, but it really is. Dark wooden buildings with slate gray roof tiles, fitted with gleeming gold ornamentation, and secluded in a forest of trees and bamboo, I am so glad that I found this little hideaway. Just another example of what you can find in Kyoto the more often you visit.

 

Kitano Tenmangû

Located only a hop, skip, and a jump down the street from Kinkakuji is the well established shrine Kitano Tenmangû, one of the premier shrines in the city and the shrine most associated with passing exams. The shrine was founded in 947 C.E. to commemorate Sugawara no Michizane, a scholar and renowned figure of the time for his genius. Following his death, the emperor of the time established the construction of the shrine and it became the first shrine in Japanese history to enshrine a real person. The legacy of Sugawara no Michizane in addition to the founding of Kitano Tenmangû lead to the building of branch shrines across the country. Today, there are estimated to be around 12,000 shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane. The shrines are a particularly popular place for students to pray for exam scores, but it’s also a place for people to wish for luck improving personal skills and the wisdom to overcome the mental challenges we all face.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 8.

There are so many reasons I can think of for visiting this shrine, from incredible architecture, vibrant art, peaceful paths of stone lanters, to the quaint surrounding neighborhoods blending traditional Kyoto market streets with modern bistros, cafés, and stores. In the compact modern cities of Japan, and for certain in a major city like Kyoto, it’s amazingly refreshing to find one of those places where all of that fades away. A chance to smell the fresh pine needles, touch stone lanterns from ages past, and ignite the mind with colors and carvings brilliant to the eye. There’s a great deal to see at Kitano Tenmangû, but I firmly believe it must be experienced and not read.