Kamigamo Jinja

Kamigamo Jinja is the upper of two shrines dedicated not only the the Kamo-gawa, the Kamo River, but also to the founding of Kyoto itself. The deity enshrined is the three-legged raven, or Yatagarasu in Japanese, and is the primary ancient emblem of the Imperial Family. The Yatagarasu is a very important figure in the culture of Japan as well as a defining character in the history of the Imperial Family. It is said that when the capital of Japan was being moved from Nara, the emperor followed a three-legged raven north to where the city of Heian-kyô (Kyoto) would be founded. After leading the emperor, the raven retired to its home now enshrined as Kamigamo Jinja.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 10.

I can’t believe that it took me five years to see Shimogamo Jinja, the lower shrine, and then move north to the upper shrine. This is one of those places that you see on the map being so far north that you think to yourself, “Hey, I think that is going to be so much trouble getting to that I don’t think it’s worth it.” But that’s just the thing, it’s not hard to get to at all. Whether by taxi, bus, or subway with a little walk, the shrine is actually very easy to get to and I would say quite beautiful too. The trees that line the banks of the Kamo-gawa are mostly cherry trees and so in spring you get the blossoms and in fall the leaves turn red. Granted they don’t have the same colorful attraction that a maple or a ginko tree might impress, but it’s still a lovely change in color.

The shrine stands out from its surroundings because of the vibrant vermillian of its paint. Large torii gates and fences designate the boundaries of the shrine. A long gravel path then leads visitors straight through a lawn to the inner shrine. It is believed that the sport of horse-riding, and the festivals associated with it, began its practice at this shrine, as a result the shrine has a horse-riding festival in late spring. I’m not sure how regular this is, but when I was there, there was a good luck horse in a small stable just outside of the main shrine that you could pay to feed.

The shrine consists of three main sections, the Hoso-dono, the Hashi-dono, and finally the Hon-den. The Hoso-dono is the first building that visitors see after passing through the inner torii. It is known for the two cones of sand which stand in front. These cones of sand are said to have cleansing properties and are kept intact year-round. The Hashi-dono, currently undergoing rennovations, is less a prayer building and more of a formal reception house. The Hashi-dono, as its name suggests, is a building which straddles one of the streams which bisects the shrine grounds. It is also here that a missive from the emperor is put on display when he sends his good wishes for the Aoi Matsuri every year. The Hon-den, the main shrine, is the final building with two gates, the Ro-mon and the Chu-mon. The Chu-mon is only opened at New Years so most people are only familiar with the Ro-mon. Inside are enshrined the spirits of not only the Yatagarasu, but also the local deities of the area which have been worshipped since prehistoric times.

I visited in November during Shichi-Go-San, a one month period when families pray for the health of their children. Therefore, many of the people are dressed in suits and dresses with the children wearig special kimono. Center right is a young boy in one such kimono with his father learning to bow at the torii.

Lucky horse!

The Hoso-dono and the sacred cones of sand.

 

Hokkaidô Jingû Tongû

A branch of Hokkaidô Jingû in Maruyama Park, Hokkaidô Jingû Tongû is the shrine where several mikoshi (portable shrines) are stored throughout the year. It is located on the central east side of Sapporo only a few blocks from the clock tower in Odori Park. Because this shrine is small and rather quiet, I couldn’t find any information about when the shrine was built or if there is a greater purpose for the shrine beyond storage responsibilities. That being said, I would make the assumption that this shrine was like a satellite of the main Hokkaidô Jingû in Maruyama that likely served the more immediate spiritual needs to the people living in this particular section of Sapporo.

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

I gave this shrine a low grade really only because there’s no great need to go there. It does have its own Goshuin for those wondering, but other than that, there’s nothing about it that calls a great deal of attention to itself. Honestly, I just found it while walking to the Sapporo Beer Museum. I guess one could describe it as functional or egalitarian. It serves all the purposes of any other shrine, but it doesn’t need to reach beyond that: it knows its responsibilities to the community and does just that. I will say that I enjoyed this shrine quite a bit just because it was a lovely quiet spot in the area. The trees are really nice and the shrine offices have some lovely paintings to see on the walls accompanied by relaxing music.

 

Hokkaidô Jingû

Hokkaidô Jingû is the premier shrine to the island, and was founded by Emperor Meiji in 1869 following his ascention. The shrine was built to offer spiritual assistance to the pioneers working through the forests. The shrine is home to “the Three Pioneer Deities” and was positioned in the area of Maruyama because of the three mountains that surrounded it. Later under Emperor Showa, the venerated spirit of Emperor Meiji was enshrined in Hokkaidô Jingû making it one of only a few shrines in Japan to be home to four different deities.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 6.

Hokkaidô Jingû, as mentioned above, is the premier shrine to the area, and is the most important shrine in Hokkaido. It’s a beautiful shrine, deserving of the title Jingû, and it sits within a wonderful public park perfect for picnics, parties, and other pleasantries. Ok, I won’t lie, I definitely noticed that alliteration and decided to go with it. I really do believe that the shrine and the larger Maruyama park are a wonderful place to spend a sunny afternoon, just be careful of the crafty ravens looking for some mischief. After visiting the shrine or enjoying the park, Maruyama Zoo is just up the street.

 

Fuji-san Komitake Jinja

Before Mt. Fuji existed as we see it today, it actually had a different name. In fact, according to Japanese traditional understanding, before the volcano known as Fuji-san was formed, Komitake-san was the reigning volcano in the area. Over the years, as Fuji-san erupted and expanded, it gradually swallowed Komitake-san to the point that we see it today, a small peak about half way up the side of Fuji-san. Now, have residents of the area witnessed the physical swallowing of Komitake-san? No. But people have been around long enough to see the larger Fuji-san absorb the very peak of the mountain over the course of Japan’s written history. This local legend was backed up with geological research which confirmed that Fuji-san is the latest in a long line of volcano cores which date back millions of years. As a result, this shrine is dedicated to Komitake-san and is the marker used to indicate the 5th station on the climb up to the peak of Fuji-san.

For the casual: 9. For the educated: 9.

The shrine itself is a very small little shack at the 5th station just before the Yoshida Trail, so it can be easy to miss if you’re attempting the climb. The local legend is that Komitake-san was home to a tengu, a yokai that lives in the mountains, and the tengu was said to bring good luck to climbers. Therefore, visiting the shrine before making the climb has a chance to bring you better weather (the wind can be dangerous), good speed, and a safe return from the summit.

Let’s talk geology for a minute or two, shall we? The compressed energy within a volcano is always looking for the easiest way out, and the buildup of such pressure causes a multitude of cracks and vents to open in the hillside. If one vent is more efficent than the others at releasing that stored energy, that vent is used more causing it to get larger, and often becoming a secondary peak on the mountain. Small vents will either remain as they are or grow, sometimes to the extent of dwarfing the parent volcano, as is the case with Fuji-san. Fuji-san is infact a dormant stratavolcano, so there’s little need to worry while ascending its slopes. But dormant doesn’t mean extinct, and records show that it typically errupts every 300 years or so. The last erruption was just before the turn of the 18th century (300 years ago ^(O.O)^   ).

Credit to Daniel Traub for checking my geological language.