, formerly , is a

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

located at the far western end of

Shijō Street runs in the center of Kyoto, Japan from east to west through the commercial center of the city. Shijō literally means ''Fourth Avenue'' of Heian-kyō, the ancient capital. History The section between Shinkyōgoku street and the vicini ...

, approximately 1.3 kilometers south of the

Arashiyama is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. Notable to ...

district of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. It is home to a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

at the base of the mountain, Arashiyama, that is believed to be blessed. It is said that during the move of the capital from

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

to Kyoto, a noble saw a turtle bathing under the spring's waterfall and created a shrine there. It is one of the oldest shrines in the Kyoto area, its founding extending back to 700 CE. The restorative properties of the spring bring many local

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

and

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spread ...

companies to the shrine for prayers that their product will be blessed. The shrine also serves a ''kinpaku miki'' (gold leaf filled blessed sake) during ''

hatsumōde is the first Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year. Many visit on the first, second, or third day of the year as most are off work on those days. Generally, wishes for the new year are made, n ...

''.

History

The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

. In 965,

Emperor Murakami was the 62nd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 村上天皇 (62)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Murakami's reign spanned the years from 946 to his death in 967. Biography Before he ascended to ...

ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' of Japan. These ''heihaku'' were initially presented to 16 shrines including the Matsunoo Shrine. From 1871 through 1946, Matsunoo-taisha was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.

Shofuen Gardens

After a new set of buildings was finished in 1973, modernist garden designer

Mirei Shigemori , was a Japanese landscape architect and historian of Japanese gardens. Life and career Mirei Shigemori was a garden designer who actively participated in many areas of Japanese art and design. Shigemori was born in Kayō, Okayama, Kayō, Jōbō ...

was brought in to design new garden areas at Matsuo Taisha. Shigemori designed three new garden areas, which were completed in 1975: * Kyokosui no Niwa 曲水の庭 (Garden of the Winding Stream) with a clear flowing stream in the style of the

* Jōko no Niwa 上古の庭 (Prehistoric Garden), a setting of large stones that references the ancient Mt. Matsuo shrine stone behind the shrine buildings * Horai no Niwa 蓬莱の庭 (Garden of Horai), a garden referencing the land of Horai in Chinese and Japanese myth Beppyo shrines Kanpei-taisha The gardens at Matsuo Taisha were Shigemori's last project; his son, Kanto, supervised the final work after Shigemori's death on March 12, 1975.

Images

File:Matsuo Taisha front gate.jpg, Front gate File:Shofuen Matsuo-taisha Kyoto Japan01s3.jpg, Horai Garden of Shofuen File:Shofuen Matsuo-taisha Kyoto Japan07s3.jpg, Kyokusui Garden of Shofuen File:Tsukuyomi shrine Kyoto.jpg, Shrine to

Tsukuyomi , or simply or , is the moon god in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. The name "Tsukuyomi" is a compound of the Old Japanese words and . The '' Nihon Shoki'' mentions this name spelled as , but this ''yumi'' is likely a variation i ...

Notes

References

* Breen, John and

Mark Teeuwen Mark J. Teeuwen (Marcus Jacobus Teeuwen, born 9 February 1966, Eindhoven) is a Dutch academic and Japanologist. He is an expert in Japanese religious practices, and he is a professor at the University of Oslo.University of Oslo faculty CV/ref> In a ...

. (2000)
''Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami.''
Honolulu:

University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962).
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * ____________. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.

External links