Kyoto 10 Imamiya-Jinja Shrine (Shinto Shrine)

November 23, 2025

Kyoto 10 Imamiya-Jinja Shrine (Shinto Shrine)

This shrine houses the three gods Onamuchi (a god who ruled over earthly lands), Kotoshironushi (a god of oracles), and Kushiinada-Hime (a goddess of farming), who are popular as gods of the healing illnesses. To the west of the main shrine is an auxiliary shrine (sessha_ a shrine which houses gods closely related to the gods of the main shrine), Ekijinja, which houses Susano'o (a god whose actions can cause illness to arise and disappear), believed to have the power to quell gods of pestilence, and which actually predates the main shrine. Emperor Ichijo initually enshrined the god of pestilence on the top of Mt Funaoka in 994 to pray for relief from an epidemic, holding a goryo-e, or meeting to placate evil spirits. In 1001, a shrine for the three gods was built at the present site, and another goryo-e was held. The name "Imamiya" means "Current shrine", and comes from this new shrine. The current main shrine and Ekijinja buildings were rebuilt in the Meiji period (1868-1912). The Yasurai Festival is held on the second Sunday in April, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. This festival celebrates the end of the epidemic, and is considered on of Kyoto's most unique festivals of Kyoto City.

It's so strange to see QR codes on these signs.

At most of these shrines and temples, you can always find someone maintaining the grounds.

Here this woman is picking up the leaves and placing them very intentionally in a bag. It's a meditation just watching her.

Now for the important things... at a side entrance are two large buildings which house restaurants.

I had seen these on a video and wanted to try them. At the entrance of Imamiya Shrine are a couple of Kyoto’s traditional mochi shops. Two centuries-old establishments serve aburimochi—bite-sized pieces of mochi dusted with roasted soybean flour (kinako), grilled on bamboo skewers, and topped with sweet white miso sauce.

After the mochi balls are cooked, they are mounted on skewers and this lovely team of women grill them to give them that lovely char. They are very busy, I arrived early and had to wait. They are not overly sweet, they are doughy and crunchy, best eaten quicky as they don't age well and are best eaten fresh. Not the kind of thing you can pick up as take away.

Back to the shrine.....

The wood box with the gold medallions is a donation box, which is usually used before devotees pull on the center rope attached to a bell.

At Shinto shrines, large suzu drape over entrances, as it is said that ringing them calls kami, allowing one to acquire positive power and authority, while repelling evil. Handheld clustered suzu, similar to jingle bells, are used musically at Shinto ceremonies. There are ceremonies, for instance, where female performers dance with suzu bells such as those with some sort of short blade at their center.^[2] The bell's cool tinkles are also considered psychological air-conditioning for the summer since their clear ringing is considered cool and refreshing.^[3]