is an important

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

sanctuary in the Shimogamo district of

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 ...

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 which have been designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. 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 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, mo ...

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

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'' 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, 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 Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

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

. In 965,

Emperor Murakami The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother ( empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rul ...

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 p ...

13''): Emperor Kanmu 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 even ...

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 List of emperors of Japan, order of succession. Suzaku's reign spanned the years from Heian period, 930 through 946. B ...

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 logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, 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 and are ...

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 List of emperors of Japan, order of succession. Horikawa's reign spanned the years from Heian period, 1087 through 1107 ...

visited Kamo. * 1156 ('' Hōgen 1, 23rd day of the 4th month''): Emperor Go-Shirakawa 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. He ascended ...

, and this became the principal building during the reign or of the Emperor Kanmu 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 '' Hōjōki'' is located in Kawai Jinja section of the shrine.

Gallery

File:Maples leaves and lantern.jpg, Maple leaves and paper lantern at the shrine 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 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 tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. * 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
Kanpei Taisha 6th-century Shinto shrines Shinto shrines in Kyoto World Heritage Sites in Japan National Treasures of Japan Important Cultural Properties of Japan Historic Sites of Japan Beppyo shrines Myōjin Taisha Twenty-Two Shrines Chokusaisha Kamo clan Nagare-zukuri {{Kamo Faith