#Heian Jingu

[uroko]

by: 福永史子

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Kyoto

Heian Jingū

Enshrined Kami: Emperors Kanu and Komi, the first and last emperors to reside in Kyoto

Prayers Offered: Peace, the well being of the family, and protection against danger

Heian Jingu enshrines Emperor Kanmu (r. 781-806), who created Heiankyo (present-day Kyoto).  While he was the only kami enshrined when the shrine was built in 1895, Emperor Komei was added in 1940 on the 2,600th anniversary of the nation’s founding.  It was an unusual case, in which one emperor was enshrined as a kami more than a thousand years after his death, and a second emperor (only distantly related to the first) some forty-five years later.  The shrine was established as much as a commemorative emblem of the past glory of Kyoto as a religious institution.  Of course, it is not the only one in Japan to enshrine emperors.  But the others are simply shrines, whereas Heian Jingu is strongly symbolic, dedicated to both the founder of the old capital and the last emperor to reside there.  Kanmu is revered as a clever and creative leader who built the city that was the center of Japanese culture for the better part of a thousand years.  Komei, on the other hand, is best known for his anger at the forced entry of Commodore Matthew Perry’s black ships in 1853 and the edict he issues in 1863—impossible by then to obey—to “expe, the barbarians.”  By the time of Komei’s death at the age of just thirty-five in 1867, the country was in disarray, and the wholesale import of Western culture into Japan had begun.  But what was hardest for the citizens of Kyoto to swallow was the prospect of the young Emperor Meiji relocating to the country’s new eastern capital, Tokyo.

—Pages 106-107

Hirano Jinja

Enshrined Kami: Imaki no Sume Ōkami, Kudo no Ōkami, Furuaki no Ōkami, Hime no Ōkami

Prayers Offered: To find love and marriage, revitalization and new beginnings, protection against danger, and safe childbirth

The four kami enshrined in Hirano Jinja are neither widely known nor well understood.  The shrine describes Imaki okami as a god of revitalization, Kudo okami as a deity of the cooking pot, Furuaki okami as a deity of new beginnings, and Hime no okami as a deity of fertility and discovery. The Engishiki (967) mentions the shrine as guardian of the imperial household kitchen. It seems that Emperor Kanmu gathered these kami together in one shrine and founded Hirano Jinja in the northwest corner of Kyoto to act as a protector of both the city and of the imperial court. Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1354) was apparently the first to consider the kami as ancestral, assigning them to the Tahira, Minamoto, Oe, and Takashina branches of the imperial line…Shinto scholar Ban Nobutomo (1773–1846), in his research into banshin (foreign kami), stated that the kami of Hirano are ancestors of the Paekche dynasty. However a spokesman for the shrine believes Nobutomo erred in his translation of certain words, which drew him to an erroneous conclusion. A related theory identified Hime no Ōkami with the mother of Kanmu, Takano no Niikasa. If so, it may be one reason why Kanmu, whose mother was descended from a Korean king of Paekche, valued the shrine. Perhaps incidentally, the term “Imaki” is applied to Korean immigrants in the Nihon shoki…

…considered “eminent kami”…received regular offerings from the imperial palace. The kami of Hirano were considered very powerful, and the hereditary priests who controlled the shrine were from a clan of tortoise-shell diviners called the Urabe.  Tortoise-shell divination (kiboku), imported from China through Korea, became one of the main forms of divination regulated under the Council of Kami Affairs (jingikan). The Urabe were an important clan of hereditary Shinto priests (jingidoke) considered one of the “three houses of Shinto” along with the Shirakawa and Nakatomi clans. They divided into the Hirano and Yoshida clans, with the Yoshida becoming one of the most influential kami clans throughout the late medieval and Edo periods. The Yoshida controlled the right to appoint new priests and rank shrines. The Hirano were transcribers of the classics and experts on the Nihon shoki. A compilation of research, called Shaku Nihongi, written by Urabe Kanekata, earned the family the sobriquet “house of the Nihon shoki.”

—Page 109

…In the Heian period it was considered one of the “major seven” shrines, along with Ise, Iwashimizu, the Kamo shrines, Matsuo, Fushimi Inari, and Kasuga. It was associated with a shinbutsu shugo (syncretistic) belief known as the “thirty tutelaries” (sanjubanshin), which originated with the Tendai monks of Mount Hiei in the ninth century. This was a belief that thirty kami (presumably chosen by Tendai monks) alternated daily to protect the Lotus Sutra. The kami of Hirano was also included in this grouping.

—Pages 110

Iwashimizu Hachimangū

Kami Enshrined: Hachiman okami (also known as Hondawake no mikoto and associated with Emperor Ojin), Hime okami, and Jingu Kogo (Okinagatarashihime no mikoto).

Prayers Offered: Protection against danger, safe childbirth, and the attainment of goals.

Iwashimizu represents the emergence of Hachiman as a god of war as well as exemplifying the Kami’s identification with Buddhism.  It is also significant as the the kami’s second enshrinement close to a capital city and seat of power. (For the beginnings of Hachiman worship, see the entry for Usa Jingu.) The first was in Tamukeyama Hachimangu in Nara as protector of the Great Buddha of Todaiji in 752. After that time, the connection between Hachiman and the imperial court grew stronger. In 855 Hachiman was again called upon to “protect the nation” when the head of the Great Buddha of Todaiji suddenly fell off during an earthquake. Emperor Montoku launched a campaign to rebuild the Buddha shortly afterward and the first place he turned for assistance was Usa Jingu. For the first time the imperial message addressed Hachiman as “awesome Daibosatsu” (great Buddha) and called upon him to “protect the emperor [country] to eternity.” At the same time, a statement was issued that the kami who assisted in this project would gain “merit” (in the sense of Buddhist enlightenment). It was an important step in acknowledging kami as “trace” manifestations of the “original ground” (honji-suijaku) of the Buddha.

—Page 112

There is an interesting story related to the bamboo of Otokoyama. In 1880 Thomas Edison sent one of his researchers, William H. Moore, to Japan in search of good bamboo to use as light bulb filaments.  It is said that he had tested six thousand materials, but the bamboo taken from a fan lasted the longest—200 hours. Moore was directed to Kyoto and more specifically Otokoyama, and the bamboo he found there made a filament that lasted close to 1,200 hours. Ironically, the rock that makes up Otokoyama is a poor surface for growing bamboo, as a result of which the type that grows there is harder than normal. It became part of Edison’s incandescent lamp for the following ten years, and the inventor maintained close ties to Japan… It is strange to think that the mammoth Japanese electric industry began with Edison, and that Edison’s light bulb began with the grace of the kami of Iwashimizu Hachimangu. Today there is a monument to the inventor on Otokoyama, and a Festival of Light has been observed since 1999. It is also possible to purchase ema votive plaques bearing an image of Edison.

—Pages 113-114

[redsamuraiii]

Kagura Dance at Heian Jingu in Kyoto

Beautiful and elegant. Hope to see one in person one day.

[ungatonipon]

Kyoto, Gion, towards Heian Jingu

[artschoolglasses]

Heian-jingu

Kyoto, Japan

[boschintegral-photo]

Heian Jingu Shrine 平安神宮 Kyoto, Japan

[xpuigc-bloc]

Heian-Jingu

Kyoto

Watercolour and pen on khadi paper.

#Heian-Jingu #original art

#artist painter #ilustration painter

#Watercolour and pen on khadi paper

#art #xpuigc

[0ktoberkind]

Nach dem Markt ging es dann zum Heian-jingu Tempel, der ebenso eine wunderschöne Gartenanlage hat.

[nobu11051991]

Heian Jingu shrine, Shinen garde is the must see garden in Kyoto! The irises are in full bloom now 7th June 2024!!!

Heian Jingu shrine, Shinen garde is the must see garden in Kyoto! The irises are in full bloom now 7th June 2024 !!! Hi I’m Nobu, I like traveling overseas and in Japan, visited 26 countries!  I’m a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter of English for 10 years. For the people who are interested in and planning trip to Japan ,  I show you hidden local information which you have never…

[jonathan-e]

Heian-jingu, Kyoto. Pen and watercolour.

[kerovousphoto]

Heian Jingu Shrine

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Heian Jingū

Listed as a Beppyō Shrine, meaning a shrine of the highest rank, by Jinja Honcho. It enshrines Emperor Kanmu and Emperor Kōmei.

One of the most striking features is the absolutely massive torii that spans the entire road. I watched many buses pass under with much amusement.

The day I visited was earth day so they had a big market set up in the gardens by the shrine. One of the things my friend and I regularly did was go back to this shrine at different times during the year to see the different flowers. At this time the main flowers in the garden were azaleas.

I also got to see a crane hanging out with a variety of turtles and koi :D

And finally the Goshuin I obtained at the shrine :)

All photos and videos are mine please do not use without permission.

[noticiasarquelogicasjaponesas]

Sean bienvenidos japonistaarqueológicos a una nueva entrega de arqueológica japonesa dicho esto pónganse cómodos que empezamos. En esta ocasión, nos trasladamos a las ruinas de Saigu que están localizadas en la prefectura de Mie además es un sitio histórico nacional en Meiwa-cho, en el cual vivió Saio, la princesa que sirvió a Ise Jingu en lugar del emperador. - Esto lo sabemos gracias a los restos arqueológicos se, cree que se construyó entre el período Nara tardío y el período Heian temprano, se componen de cuatro edificios. - Estén atentos ya que les iré informando de todo lo que se vaya sabiendo,¿ Conocían este lugar? Espero que os haya gustado y nos vemos el día 22 nuevamente, os deseo un cordial saludo. - 日本の考古学の新しい記事へようこそ。 今回は、伊勢神宮に仕えた皇女・斎王が住んでいた、三重県明和町にある国の史跡「斎宮跡」に移動しました。 - 考古学的遺跡のおかげで、奈良時代後期から平安時代初期に建てられたと信じられており、4つの建物で構成されています。 - わかっていることはすべてお知らせしますので、お楽しみに、このサイトをご存知でしたか？ 気に入っていただけて、22日にまた��会いできることを願っています。 - Welcome japonistasarqueológicos to a new installment of Japanese archeology, having said that, make yourself comfortable, we're starting. This time, we moved to the Saigu Ruins, which is located in Mie Prefecture and is a national historic site in Meiwa-cho, where Saio, the princess who served Ise Jingu instead of the emperor, lived. - We know this thanks to the archaeological remains, I know, it is believed that it was built between the late Nara period and the early Heian period, it is made up of four buildings. - Stay tuned, since I will inform you of everything that is known, did you know this site? I hope you liked it and see you again on the 22nd, I wish you a cordial greeting.

[itsmarjudgelove]

Heian Jingu Shrine Gardens

[loenadiary]

🇯🇵 Heian Jingu Shrine 平安神宮

[boschintegral-photo]

Heian Jingu Shrine 平安神宮 Kyoto, Japan