The power animals of shamanism evolved in Shinto into messengers of the kami, able to mediate between the human world and the spiritual. Statues of animals are thus often found at shrines. The kitsune foxes at Inari shrines are … Read the rest
Category: Kyoto shrines (Page 17 of 28)
It’s not well-known, yet it was founded in 887, it’s got a pair of guardian rats, and its ‘sacred body’ is the 15th hill of Kyoto’s 36 Eastern Hill range. It lies off the Philosopher’s Walk, and while most … Read the rest
In a sense, you could say that the whole notion of ‘power spots’ is a modern re-packaging of ancient notions, since many traditional sites were located in places felt to exude a certain ‘energy’. It explains why most of the … Read the rest
On May 15 the oldest of Kyoto’s Big Three Festivals takes place. The Aoi Matsuri is the city’s big spring event; the Gion Matsuri is the summer bonanza; and the Jidai Matsuri is the autumnal offering. In winter we … Read the rest
On a recent visit to Fushimi Inari, I noticed a large display by the central gate advertising an anime called Inari, Kon Kon, Koi Iroha. I hadn’t heard of it, but it seems to have made a splash amongst the … Read the rest
Shinto is very much an ancestral as well as an animist religion. Many of the leading figures in Japanese history are honoured as part of the national consciousness, and one of the most salient is the statesman, Sugawara no … Read the rest
May brings a flurry of festivities in the Shinto calendar, and Kyoto kicks off the month with several colourful events, including the Aoi Festival preliminaries (the grand parade takes place on the 15th). This year the sunshine was in … Read the rest