is an important Shinto sanctuary in the Shimogamo district of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, 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, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

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

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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, 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). 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. 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'') for the former Yamashiro Province. In 965, Emperor Murakami 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, ,　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 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 came as part of a grand progress.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1964). ''Visiting Famous Shrines of Japan'', p. 47. * 942 ('' Tengyō 5, 29th day of the 4th month''): Emperor Suzaku visited to offer thanks for restoration of peace. * 979 ('' Tengen 2, 10th day of the 10th month''): Emperor En'yū 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 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, and this became the principal building during the reign or of the Emperor Kanmu when he removed the capital from Nara to Heian-kyō. Shimogamo Shrine (Lower Kamo Shrine) is believed to date to the 6th century. A model of the Hut described in '' Hōjōki'' 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 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. (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, th ...

. * 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