Kinpō Jinja, Shinto shrine in Japan
Kinpō Jinja is a Shinto shrine in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, whose honden is the whole summit of Mount Kinbō, a National Place of Scenic Beauty. Its heiden, a National Important Cultural Property, has a high roof and a Chinese-style gable over the entrance, resembling a Zen temple chapel. Shrine buildings are scattered across the mountain.
Shrine records give two founding dates: the Daidō era (806–810) or the Jōryaku era (990–995), when the deity of Kinpusen in Yoshino was reportedly transferred here. The Northern Fujiwara of Hiraizumi venerated the shrine, and in the Edo period it was a prayer site of the Shōnai Domain. Renamed Mitake Shrine in 1870 and Kinbō Shrine in 1877, it became a prefectural shrine in 1876. The Heiden bears an inscription recording remodeling by Mogami Yoshimitsu in 1608.
The shrine's deities are Sukunabikona, Ōkuninushi, Kotoshiro-nushi and Emperor Ankan. Until the 1870 separation of Shinto and Buddhism it was called Kinbōzan Zaō Gongen and served as a Shugendō training site; the surrounding mountains, including Kokūzō-yama and Kumano-Nagamine, formed the three Kumano shrines. Its main festival is held on 15 June.
The best time to visit is spring or autumn when the weather is mild and you can see cherry blossoms or fall foliage. The mountain has walking trails throughout, and the entire summit is considered sacred, so approach with respect and patience.
The shrine's honden is not a building but the whole summit of Mount Kinbō, which rises behind the shrine and is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty. The shrine's main festival is held every year on June 15.
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