Shikichi Shrine, Shinto shrine in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Shikichi-jinja, also called Wara Tenjin, is a Shinto shrine in Kita-ku, Kyoto. Its main hall has a dark timber frame with white plaster panels, a green-tiled gabled roof with deep eaves, and a sacred rope with white paper streamers across the front. A stone lantern with a red-painted light chamber stands before it, and a broad stone staircase leads up on the left.
The shrine was founded around 831 to honor a birth goddess and was originally located in Kinugasa-mura Village. When Kitayama-dono Palace was built in 1397, the shrine was relocated to its current site to make it more accessible to worshippers.
The name Wara Tenjin refers to straw charms linked to safe childbirth and family protection. Visitors can observe people leaving small offerings and praying quietly, expressing hopes for healthy pregnancies and the wellbeing of their children.
The shrine is about a ten-minute walk from Kinkaku-ji Temple and can easily be included in a walking route through the area. Visitors should wear respectful clothing and understand that this is an active place of worship where quiet prayers are the norm.
The shrine keeps a mound called Kiyomori-zuka, long described as a tomb linked to Taira no Kiyomori, though it has no connection to him. The shrine's secondary Rokusho Inari-jinja honours six shrines at once, including Ise Jingu and Fushimi Inari Taisha, and is visited by students praying to pass exams.
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