Kamigamo Shrine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Kamigamo Shrine
上賀茂神社
Kamigamo-1559.jpg
Information
Dedicated to Kamowakeikaduchinomikoto
Founded 678
Address 339 Kamigamomotoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture‎
Phone 075-781-0011‎
Website Homepage

Icon of Shinto.svg Glossary of Shinto

Kamigamo Shrine (上賀茂神社 Kamigamo Jinja?) is an important Shinto sanctuary on the banks of the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto, built in 678.[1] Its formal name is the Kamo-wakeikazuchi Shrine (賀茂別雷神社 Kamo-wakeikazuchi jinja?).[2]

It is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan and is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The term Kamo-jinja in Japanese is a general reference to Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine, the traditionally linked Kamo shrines of Kyoto.[3] The Kamo-jinja serve the function of protecting Kyoto from malign influences.[4]

The jinja name identifies the Kamo family of kami or deities who are venerated. The name also refers to the ambit of shrine's nearby woods, which are vestiges of the primeval forest of Tadasu no Mori. In addition, the shrine name references the area's early inhabitants, the Kamo clan, many of whom continue to live near the shrine their ancestors traditionally served.[5]

Kamogamo Shrine is dedicated to the veneration of Kamo Wake-ikazuchi, the kami of thunder.

Contents

[edit] History

A serene expanse at Kamigamo-jinja.

The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period.[6]

Records from the reign of Emperor Heizei (806-809) mention that Kamo-mioya jinja was amongst a select number of establishments which had been granted a divine seal for use on documents. The seal would have been enshrined in its own unique mikoshi (Oshite jinja). This granting of a special seal and the practices associated with its use and preservation conformed to a pattern established by Emperor Konin (770-781) in 778 (Hōki 9).[7]

In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to Japan's guardian kami, including Kamo Wake-ikazuchi.[8]

From 1871 through 1946, the Kamigamo Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社?), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. [9]

[edit] Imperial visits

[edit] Structures

The jinja is famous for its haiden (worship hall), rebuilt in 1628-1629 (Kan'ei 6).

A number of priests' residences are situated on its grounds, and one, the Nishimura House, is open to the public.

[edit] Gallery

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Kyoto Prefectural Government Tourism Division: Kamigamo; Iwao, Seiichi et al. (2002). Dictionnaire historique du Japon, p. 1712.
  2. ^ Richard, Ponsonby-Fane. (1964) Visiting Famous Shrines in Japan, pp. 119-175.
  3. ^ Terry, Philip. (1914). Terry's Japanese empire, p. 479.
  4. ^ Miyazaki, Makoto. "Lens on Japan: Defending Heiankyo from Demons," Daily Yomiuri. December 20, 2005.
  5. ^ Nelson, John K. (2000). Enduring Identities: The Guise of Shinto in Contemporary Japan, pp. 92-99.
  6. ^ Breen, John et al. (2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami, pp. 74-75.
  7. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1963). The Vicissitudes of Shinto, p. 206.
  8. ^ Ponsonby-Fane. Studies in Shinto and Shrines, pp. 116-117.
  9. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, pp. 124.
  10. ^ a b Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1964). Visiting Famous Shrines of Japan, pp. 47, 131.
  11. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Visiting, pp. 48, 131.
  12. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Visiting, p. 132.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Coordinates: 35°03′37″N 135°45′10″E / 35.06028°N 135.75278°E / 35.06028; 135.75278

Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages