Tag: Former Imperial Palace shrine

Gosho’s Three Shrines (4)

May 4, 2020 / / 1 Comment

Shirakumo Jinja

The precincts at Shirakumo are smaller than the other two Gosho shrines, giving a feeling of compactness and intimacy.

Shirakumo Shrine in Gosho, like the nearby Itsukushima Shrine, is linked with Benzaiten (also known as Benten). The reason, however, is different. Whereas Itsukushima Shrine stands on a small island, Benten being associated with water, Shirakumo Shrine is linked with the musical instrument she plays – the biwa.

The shrine stands on the site of the former Saionji residence, and the Saionji family were head of the Biwa School of music. The form of the deity worshipped is Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto, a manifestation of Benten that was invited from Chikubushima Island in Lake Biwa (so named because the lake resembles the shape of the instrument).

Benzaiten playing a biwa

The shrine has a long and complicated history. It originated in ancient times as a Buddhist temple dedicated to a manifestation of Benten known as Myo-Onten, or Myo-On Benzaiten. One of her worshippers was Fujiwara no Moronaga, described in The Tale of the Heike as a distinguished biwa player.

In 1224 the temple was situated where the Golden Pavilion now stands. Thereafter it suffered various mishaps before being moved in 1769 to its present position, within the grounds of the Saionji residence. After the Saionji family moved to Tokyo following the Meiji Restoration, the temple was re-dedicated as a shrine in accord with the law about the separation of Shinto and Buddhism.

In place of the syncretic Benzaiten, the newly enshrined deity was pure Shinto and the shrine took its name from Shirakumo village (I’ve been unable as yet to find the location or the connection). According to a noticeboard at the shrine it was here that Saionji Kinmochi, prime minister and friend of Emperor Meiji, founded a private academy in 1869 that became Ritsumeikan University.

Shirakumo means ‘white clouds’, and clouds in the Daoist tradition are symbols of good luck, which is why they are often seen in Chinese architecture and paintings. Because they fuse elements of water and air, as well as mediating between sky and earth, they were considered auspicious as yin and yang symbols. In addition, the Chinese reading of the kanji (‘un‘) is a homonym for ‘luck or fortune’, and white as the colour of purity is much favoured in Shinto – white snakes, white horses, white shide strips. The name of the shrine thus has potent significance.

Sacred rock with healing power

Clouds might also be considered appropriate for a water goddess, and the shrine’s water reputedly has healing properties. This is augmented by a sacred rock with curative power that stands behind the Honden (Sanctuary). As elsewhere in Shinto, the idea is to rub the rock to absorb the energy, then to rub the part of the body that one wants to be improved or healed.

Shirakumo presides over five divine benefits:
* Music – musical ability, the arts, creativity
* Water – life, fire prevention, disaster prevention
* Knowledge – wisdom, scholarship, eloquence
* Wealth – riches, prosperity, victory
* Luck – good luck, health, long life

The shrine’s prized possession, not on display, is a seated image of Myo-On-Benzaiten, possibly dating back to Heian times. In 2012 it was designated an Important Cultural Property – the only Shinto statue of a deity to be so honoured.

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This is the final posting in a four-part series about the three shrines of Gosho (Former Imperial Palace and Park in Kyoto). For Part One click here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.

One of the shrine’s large ema shows a scene from the Boshin War. Needless to say which side the aristocratic shrine supported.
One of the pair of guardian komainu has a most appealing snarl
Topical outreach to a foreign audience, sadly at a time of no tourists in Kyoto
Oblivious of the virus, Benzaiten serenely strums her biwa. (The two white mice refer to the year of the rat/mouse in the Chinese Zodiac. Benzaiten’s familiar is a white snake.)

Gosho’s Three Shrines (2)

April 26, 2020 / / 2 Comments

Munakata Jinja

The tree-lined approach
Harmony of man and nature in the fortune slips and fading cherry blossom

The three Munakata deities, known also as the Munakata sisters, are associated with the head shrine dedicated to them near Fukuoka, which has been recognised as a World Heritage Site. As daughters of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, they are highly regarded in Shinto. They also have a prestigious role in presiding over roads and sea routes, recognised as guardians of transport and by extension industry and culture.

According to shrine legend, Munakata Jinja was founded in 795, a year after Heian-kyo was established by Emperor Kammu. It was he apparently who invited the deities to his new capital. At the time the imperial estate lay further west, aligned with Senbon dori, so one presumes the shrine was moved to Gosho when the imperial estate relocated to its present position.

Oddly the shrine boasts a Kyoto Tourism subshrine within its grounds, which may be unique. I wanted to ask about this, but the shrine office was shut. As the kami is Saruta-no-mikoto, who guided Ninigi no mikoto when he descended to earth, I presume it’s frequented by Kyoto guides.

Scion of a cherry tree that once stood in front of the emperor’s ceremonial hall

Nearby is the oldest tree in the whole of the National Park, a camphor thought to be 600 years old. Standing before it, you can’t help wondering at the changes it must have seen over its lifetime. Unsurprisingly it’s marked as a shinboku, or sacred tree. (In shamanic cultures, phenomena singled out by the gods have special features, such as longevity.)

The camphor is not the only tree of interest, for there is also an ancient cherry tree descended from one that stood in front of the Enthronement Hall (Shishinden) on the left side. (On the right stood a tachibana mandarin tree.)

A third tree of note is a lusterleaf holly with leaves that are said to have been used in India for writing Sanskrit sutras. The custom was transmitted to Japan through China, and this explains the reason why Japanese call postcards ‘hagaki‘ (leaf writing).

The lusterleaf holly (angelika) bearing the sort of leaf on which Sanskrit sutra were written
Rustic simplicity for a water basin in a nobleman’s shrine
Scion of the cherry tree that used to stand in front of the Shishinden (Enthronement Hall) of the old Imperial Palace. The cherry stood on the left and a Tachibana (mandarin) on the right.
Evidently cats feel very much at home here though notices say not to feed them.
A stone marker for Kyoto Kanko Jinja, a subshrine for Kyoto Tourism. The kami is Saruta-no-mikoto, deity of guides. A notice board states the shrine was erected in 1968 by Kyoto citizens, and amongst the named sponsors are Miyako Hotel and the Ryokan Association.
An approach to the Maiden added in 2016 is built in the style of a roji pathway leading to tearooms. Perhaps the priest enjoys the aesthetics of the tea ceremony.
The Maiden intended for ritual performances for the kami houses an ‘objet trouvé’ in a piece of wood that from the side looks eerily like an inoshishi (wild boar) doing obeisance.
Gosho’s oldest tree, a 600 year old camphor, nestled in a corner of the shrine precincts. Look carefully and you’ll see the paper ‘shide’ around its trunk, marking it as a sacred tree.

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