is an important

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

sanctuary in the Shimogamo 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 ...

city's Sakyō ward. Its formal name is . It is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan and is one of the seventeen

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) encompasses 17 locations in Japan within the city of Kyoto and its immediate vicinity. In 794, the Japanese imperial family moved the capital to Heian- ...

which have been designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The term Kamo-''jinja'' in Japanese is a general reference to Shimogamo Shrine and

Kamigamo Shrine is an important Shinto sanctuary on the banks of the Kamo River in north Kyoto, first founded in 678. Its formal name is the . It is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan and is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which ...

, the traditionally linked Kamo shrines of Kyoto; Shimogamo is the older of the pair, being believed to be 100 years older than Kamigamo, and dating to the 6th century, centuries before Kyoto became the capital of Japan (794, see

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

). The Kamo-jinja serve the function of protecting Kyoto from malign influences. The ''jinja'' name identifies the Kamo family of ''

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 ...

'' 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 , which literally means "Forest of Correction", is a sacred grove associated with an important Shinto sanctuary complex known in Japanese as the Kamo-''jinja'', situated near the banks of the Kamo River just north of where the Takano River joins ...

. In addition, the shrine name references the area's early inhabitants, the

Kamo clan is a Japanese sacerdotal kin group which traces its roots from a Yayoi period shrine in the vicinity of northeastern Kyoto. The clan rose to prominence during the Asuka and Heian periods when the Kamo are identified with the 7th-century foun ...

, many of whom continue to live near the shrine their ancestors traditionally served. Shimogamo Shrine is dedicated to the veneration of and her father, . Tamayori-hime is the mother of , who was sired by . Kamigamo Shrine, the other of the two Kamo shrines of Kyoto, is dedicated to Kamo Wakeikazuchi. These ''kami'' are variously associated with thunder.

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. ...

. Shimogamo, along with the Kamigamo Shrine, was designated as one of two chief Shinto shrines (''

ichinomiya is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14. The term gave rise t ...

'') for the former

Yamashiro Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai. It overlaps the southern part of modern Kyoto Prefecture on Honshū. Aliases include , the rare , and . It is classified as an upper province in the ''Engishiki''. Yamashiro Province included Kyoto its ...

. 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 Japan's guardian ''kami'', including Kamo-Tamayori-hime and Kamo-Taketsune. The writer of

Hōjōki , variously translated as ''An Account of My Hut'' or ''The Ten Foot Square Hut'', is an important and popular short work of the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) in Japan by Kamo no Chōmei. Written in March 1212, the work depicts the Buddhist ...

, ,　was the second son of one of the head priests of the shrine, . From 1871 through 1946, Shimogamo was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 124. Today, it is one of the most visited sites during the new year, and the popular national pastime game of

kemari is an athletic game that was popular in Japan during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura period (1185–1333). It resembles a game of football or hacky sack. The game was popular in Kyoto, the capital, and the surrounding Kinki (Kansai r ...

is often played by Shinto priests.

Imperial visits

* 794 (''

Enryaku was a after ''Ten'ō'' and before '' Daidō''. This period spanned the years from August 782 through May 806. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 12 November 782 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The pr ...

13''):

Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...

came as part of a grand progress.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1964). ''Visiting Famous Shrines of Japan'', p. 47. * 942 (''

Tengyō was a after ''Jōhei'' and before ''Tenryaku.'' This period spanned the years from May 938 through April 947. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 2, 938 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. ...

5, 29th day of the 4th month''):

Emperor Suzaku was the 61st emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 朱雀天皇 (61)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Suzaku's reign spanned the years from 930 through 946. Biography Before his ascension of the Chrys ...

visited to offer thanks for restoration of peace. * 979 ('' Tengen 2, 10th day of the 10th month''):

Emperor En'yū was the 64th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 円融天皇 (64)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. En'yū's reign spanned the years from 969 through 984. Biography Before his ascension to the Chry ...

decided that an Imperial visit Hachiman at Iwashimizu Shrine should be paired with a visit to Kamo.Ponsonby-Fane, ''Visiting'', p. 48. * 1088 (''

Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

27th day of the 4th month''):

Emperor Horikawa was the 73rd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 堀河天皇 (73)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Horikawa's reign spanned the years from 1087 through 1107. Biography Before his ascension to the ...

visited Kamo. * 1156 ('' Hōgen 1, 23rd day of the 4th month''):

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His de jure reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158, though arguably he effectively maintained imperial power for almost thirty-seven years through the ''ins ...

traveled to Kamo.

Structures

A shrine structure was erected in 678 during the reign of the

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. Tenmu's re ...

, and this became the principal building during the reign or of the

when he removed the capital from Nara to

. Shimogamo Shrine (Lower Kamo Shrine) is believed to date to the 6th century. A model of the Hut described in ''

'' is located in Kawai Jinja section of the shrine.

Gallery

File:Tadasu-no-Mori.jpg, This pathway leads through ''Tadasu no Mori'' (the "Forest Where Lies are Revealed"). File:Shimogamo 01.jpg,

Rōmon The is one of two types of two-storied gate used in Japan (the other one being the ''nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shin ...

File:Shimogamo Jinja no Torii.jpg, A pair of torii gates, Kawai-jinja File:Shimogamo Jinja Mitarasi sha2.JPG, Mitarai-sha File:Bridge at Shimogamo Shrine.jpg, Taikobashi bridge

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 ...

. * Iwao, Seiichi, Teizō Iyanaga, Susumu Ishii, Shōichirō Yoshida, ''et al.'' (2002)
''Dictionnaire historique du Japon.''
Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose.
OCLC 51096469
* Nelson, John K. (2000)
''Enduring Identities: The Guise of Shinto in Contemporary Japan.''
Honolulu:

. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* ____________. (1962).
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 399449
* ____________. (1964)
''Visiting Famous Shrines in Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby-Fane Memorial Society.

External links

*
Shimogamo Shrine website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 6th century Shinto shrines in Kyoto World Heritage Sites in Japan National Treasures of Japan Important Cultural Properties of Japan Historic Sites of Japan Beppyo shrines