The is a Shinto Shrine located in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It honors the heroes of Japan, especially from the period of the

Bakumatsu were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate Meiji Restoration, ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a Feudali ...

period and the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

,''Kyoto Cultural Guide'' by John H. Martin, Phyllis G. Martin p.65
/ref> most famously

Sakamoto Ryōma was a Japanese ''samurai'', a '' shishi'' and influential figure of the ''Bakumatsu,'' and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. Sakamoto was a low-ranking ''samurai'' from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an acti ...

and his associate

Nakaoka Shintarō was a samurai in Bakumatsu period Japan, and a close associate of Sakamoto Ryōma in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate.National Diet Library (NDL), Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures Nakaoka, Shintaro/ref> Biograph ...

, who are buried side by side in the shrine. Within the shrine is a monument in memory of the Indian jurist Radhabinod Pal. The Ryozen Museum of History is next to this shrine.

History

In 1862, a funeral was held by volunteers at the Shinto burial site Reimeisha in the red seal land (朱印地) of the Shohoji (正法寺) temple of the :de:Ji-shu Ryozan school. There were 3 festival gods

Kukurihime , also , is a Japanese Shinto goddess''Shinto Encyclopedia Volume One'' piece 264 (original 455 pages) Kukurihimenomomikoto　Kikurihime/ref>''Encyclopedia of the World Goddess'' pages 42-43 "Kukurihime Kikurihime" venerated as (also known as ...

, Hayatama-no-Okami, and Susano Otomo.Since it was a red seal land (朱印地), it could not be purchased, and it was a "permanent contractor". On June 29, 1868, in order to worship the spirits of the Shishi (tenchu-gumi in order to enshrine a holy spirit etc) who fell from

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

on the verge of the

, a sacred area of a sacred mountain in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, a scholarship was issued to build the structure. The shrine was founded at the summit of Kyoto's

Kuge The was a Japanese Aristocracy (class), aristocratic Social class, class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th ce ...

(aristocratic class) and the feudal lords of Yamaguchi,

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

, Fukui, Tottori, and

Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...

. It has an older history than

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

. The original name of the company was called Ryozen Kansai Shokyoshasha, and the company name was especially "Kansaisha" which was repaired at national expense. In 1936 (Showa 11), there was a movement to carefully enshrine the national martyrs from

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

who perished after the China Incident (支那事変) in the (

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

). The precincts were expanded and a new shrine was built. On April 1, 1939 (Showa 14), the name of the company was changed to the current name of Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine by the Declaration of the Ministry of Home Affairs (内務大臣). After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was placed under the umbrella of a

religious corporation A religious corporation is a type of religious non-profit organization, which has been incorporated under the law. Often these types of corporations are recognized under the law on a subnational level, for instance by a state or province governm ...

and

Association of Shinto Shrines The is a religious administrative organisation that oversees about 80,000 Shinto shrines in Japan. These shrines take the Ise Grand Shrine as the foundation of their belief. It is the largest Shrine Shinto organization in existence. Description ...

, and left the state. During the GHQ occupation, it was renamed to Kyoto Shrine, but after Japanese independence it was restored to its original name. In 1970 (Showa 45), the Ryozen Museum of History was opened in the precincts to display materials related to the

. In 2002, the comprehensive relationship with the Association of Shinto Shrines was dissolved. Ryoma Sakamoto, who was assassinated in

, is also included in the deity, and a statue was built in the precincts. On November 15, in memory of Ryoma's virtues and comforting spirits The Ryoma Festival was held. In addition to Ryoma,

Kido Takayoshi , formerly known as , was a Japanese statesman, samurai and ''Shishi (Japan), shishi'' who is considered one of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration, three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Early life Born Wada Kogorō on Augu ...

, Shintaro Nakaoka, Rai Mikisaburo, Umeda Unpin, Torataro Yoshimura, Kuniomi Hirano,

Kusaka Genzui , (born Kusaka Hidezaburō; May 1840 – 20 August 1864) was a samurai of the Japanese domain of Chōshū who was active during the Bakumatsu period and a key proponent of the ''sonnō jōi'' movement. Early life He was born Kusaka Hide ...

Takasugi Shinsaku was a samurai from the Chōshū Domain of Japan who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. He used several aliases to hide his activities from the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life Takasugi Shinsaku was born in the castle town Ha ...

, Ikutaro Tokoro, Miyabe Teizo, Shunzaburo Taoka (田岡俊三郎) and others, 1,356 pillars of the late

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. A total of about 73,000 pillars are worshiped as religious gods, including those who died during the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

, the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, and the

. Also, in April 2012, a statue of a

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

pilot was erected.

Festivals

*Saitan Festival (new years festival) - January 1,～ three days *Kigensetsu Festival (

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Oharae (大祓) (purification festival) *Spirit Festival - August 13,～16th *Autumn Festival- October 14 *Ryoma Festival- November 15 *Tencho Festival (

The Emperor's Birthday is an annual public holiday in Japan celebrating the birthday of the reigning Emperor, which is currently 23 February as Emperor Naruhito was born on that day in 1960. It is enforced by the Emperor Abdication Law passed in 2017. History o ...

) - December 23

Showa Forest

In 1997 ( Heisei 9), "Showa no Mori" was established to commemorate the Great East Asian War (

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

). To commemorate the 50th anniversary of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

's independence, there is a monument dedicated to India's representative judge, Radhabinod Pal, whose dissenting opinion at the

International Military Tribunal for the Far East The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo Trial and the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, was a military trial convened on 29 April 1946 to Criminal procedure, try leaders of the Empire of Japan for their cri ...

was that the accused were not guilty of war crimes.

Transportation

*Take the Kyoto City Bus 80, 202, 206, 207 "Higashiyama Yasui" bus stop and walk 10 minutes. *15 minutes walk from

Gion-Shijō Station is a railway station in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan, which serves the Keihan Main Line and is operated by the Keihan Electric Railway. Lines Gion-Shijō Station is served by the Keihan Main Line. All types of passenger trains, from local to lim ...

on the

Keihan Main Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Keihan Electric Railway. The line runs between Sanjō Station in Kyoto and Yodoyabashi Station in Osaka. There are through services to the Keihan Ōtō Line and the Keihan Nakanoshima Line. Trains ...

Notes

External links