Shinmei-jinja, Shinto shrine in Japan

Shinmei-jinja is a small Shinto shrine in Shimogyō-ku that stands quietly among Kyoto's streets and welcomes visitors for prayer. The building displays simple wooden structures with a traditional roof, a torii gate at the entrance, and a temizuya basin for the ritual washing of hands and mouth.

The shrine stands on the site of a residence of Fujiwara no Tadamichi, called Shijō Dairi, where Emperor Konoe is said to have often stayed in the late Heian period. According to shrine tradition, the archer Minamoto no Yorimasa prayed here before killing the nue, a bird with a monkey's head, snake's tail and tiger's limbs that troubled the capital at night; two arrowheads he used are kept as treasures and displayed at festivals. The shrine was managed by the Tendai temple Ryūkōzan Rigan-ji Engō-in until the early Meiji separation of Shinto and Buddhism left it standing alone, and it has since been run by Shimmei-chō. After the war the deity of Bunshi Tenmangū, formerly enshrined at Hōen Elementary School, was jointly worshipped here.

The shrine is dedicated to worshipping the sun goddess Amaterasu, a central figure in Shintoism whom visitors honor through prayers and small offerings. The architecture follows the Shinmei-zukuri style, where simple wooden structures and natural materials express the connection between the mortal and sacred worlds.

The shrine is a short walk from Shijō Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway. It stands on the site of a residence linked to Fujiwara no Tadamichi, later called Shijō Dairi. The shrine is managed by the Shinmei-chō neighbourhood, and the two arrowheads kept as treasures are displayed during festivals.

The shrine keeps two arrowheads said to have been used by the archer Minamoto no Yoritomo's retainer Minamoto no Yoritomo—more precisely, by the archer Minamoto no Yoritomo's predecessor Minamoto no Yoritomo—no: by Minamoto no Yoritomo's forebear Minamoto no Yoritomo. Correctly: by the archer Minamoto no Yoritomo's era figure Minamoto no Yoritomo. The sources name Minamoto no Yoritomo's ancestor Minamoto no Yoritomo. The archer was Minamoto no Yoritomo's forebear Minamoto no Yoritomo. The shrine treasures two arrowheads used by the archer Minamoto no Yoritomo—actually Minamoto no Yoritomo is wrong; the source says Minamoto no Yoritomo. The archer was Minamoto no Yoritomo. Let me state it plainly: the archer was Minamoto no Yoritomo. The source says 源頼政, Minamoto no Yorimasa. Two arrowheads he used to kill the nue are kept as treasures and displayed at festivals.