We visited the Kamigamo-Shrine on Oct 21, 2011 as a part of the course on "Introduction to Japanese Religion" which is provided for the Institute for the Liberal Arts (ILA), Doshisha University.
Kamigamo-Shrine (Kamo-wake-ikazuchi-Jinja) in the Kita Ward of Kyoto is the oldest Shinto shrine in the ancient city. Since prehistoric times Kamigamo-jinja has preserved and transmitted the legends relating to the birth of the shrine deity, Wakeikazuchi.
Ancient rituals which transmit faith in the divine mountan, Kamo Sai also known as Aoi Matsuri which started during the reign of Emperor Kinmei in 544, and the shrine buildings retaining the style of the early Heian Period, all convey the history of the province of Yamashiro (southern Kyoto Prefecture).
Most of the shrine complex (totaling 690,000m2) has been designated as Preservation Area of Historic Landscape by the municipal government and as a Historic Site by the national government. The area contains many large trees such as ichii oaks, suda chinquappins and weeping cherry trees.
Here, nature and cultural properties coexist in harmony. On December 17, 1994, Kamigamo-jinja was officially registered as a World Cultural Heritages Site in recognition of its importance as a monument of ancient Kyoto.
Kyoto, The capital of Japan, called Heiankyo, was established in 794. Kamo-wake-ikazuchi-Jinja, Kamo Mioyajinja, Toji Temple, Kiyomizu Temple and Enryakuji Temple first appeared in the new capital during this time.
Kyoto is known worldwide as a treasure house of cultural properties, including National Treasures, Special Historical Sites and Special Places of Scenic Beauty which represent each period of the city's 1200-year history from its establishment at the beginning of the Heian Period. Infact, Kyoto possesses the largest concentration of cultural properties in Japan.
