Yoshida Shrine, Shinto shrine in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
Yoshida Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, on the slopes of Mount Yoshida. Its entrance is marked by a vermilion torii with a black-capped top beam, a straw rope and five white zigzag paper streamers; a dark plaque with vertical characters hangs at its center. Behind the gate, a shrine building with a dark curved roof and vermilion pillars stands behind a low wooden fence, and a large tree trunk rises at the left edge.
Fujiwara no Yamakage established the place in 859 to protect the capital Heian-kyo during Japan's classical period. Later, a form of belief developed here that differed from Buddhist teachings.
The name comes from the mountain where the red pavilions sit among trees and from the family who founded the place more than a thousand years ago. Visitors today come to pray, attend weddings and mark the turn of the year, when families ask for good fortune in the months ahead.
The place sits at 8 Yoshidakaguraokacho in Sakyō-ku and is open daily, though ceremonies may take place on special occasions. Visitors follow paths uphill through woodland and should wear comfortable shoes.
The Daigengu hall enshrines all 3,132 kami listed in the Engishiki, the tenth-century register of shrines, together with the eight million deities of heaven and earth. Worshipping there was held to equal visiting every one of those shrines, and the hall ranked above Ise Jingu until the Meiji era.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,717 contributors worldwide.
