Fresh, freezing
White moon on a blue sky –
Eygrets flying home
Yesterday saw Kyoto burst out in a riot of demons and bean-throwing as the city indulged in Setsubun activities. (For an explanation, click here.) At Shimogamo the … Read the rest
Category: Kyoto shrines (Page 27 of 28)
More than 1000 years ago my local shrine, Shimogamo Jinja, used to house a school and museum. By way of commemoration a panel of local academics has been set up to promote the shrine, and their first initiative is … Read the rest
My local shrine, Shimogamo, welcomes in the new year with a series of rites, one of which is kicking a football around (kemari) and another of which is kicking off worship at its zodiac shrines. The latter are … Read the rest
Kamo kami
Living next to a World Heritage site has its advantages, one of which is being able to pop across the road to make the first shrine visit of the new year. I did it rather late this year, … Read the rest
Those of us who live in Kyoto are spoilt. As soon as the glorious autumn colour light-ups finish, we get the Hanatouro light-up in Arashiyama. The area was once a pleasure-ground for the Heian aristocracy, when boats plied languidly across … Read the rest
Not many people know of Yoshida Shrine’s Daigengu. Yet this hexagonal building could be considered the city’s secret power spot, for it enshrines all the kami that existed in medieval Japan. Yes, that’s right: all the kami ! All … Read the rest
Today I witnessed a fully fledged Shin-buddhist ritual. It was carried out by priests of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism at a small shrine in the woods dedicated to the kami, Shichimen Daimyojin. Fascinating!
If, like me, you love the … Read the rest