 |
| |
Located near the source of the Kamo River, this shrine is dedicated to the guardian deity of water. |
|
| |
Dedicated to the guardian deity of water, praying at Kifune Shrine is thought to bring good luck for marriage, voyages at sea, and fire prevention. This is the head shrine of a system that includes about 500 satellite shrines nationwide. From the south side of the grounds, there is the Hongu (main hall), the Yuinoyashiro (also known as the Nakamiya or inner hall), and the Okumiya (back hall) along the side of the Kibune Kaido (historical highway). Kibune is situated in a secluded wooded site in the mountains. According to the shrine's legends, during the reign of the Hanzei Emperor (at the beginning of the 5th century), a goddess appeared on a kibune boat in Naniwa (the ancient name for Osaka), saying "I am Princess Tamayori, and if a shrine is built at each place this boat stops, it will bring good luck to the country and the citizens," and the boat then sailed up the Yodo and the Kamo rivers. The boat stopped near the source of the Kamo River close to the place where the Okumiya of Kifune Shrine is now located. This is said to be the origin of the construction of Kifune Shrine, which is dedicated to the guardian deity of water. In addition, by the Heian Period, the Nakamiya (inner hall) was dedicated to the guardian deity of marriage by the nobles and the common people living in the Kibune area. It is said that Izumi Shikibu, a famous poet of the Heian Period went to Kibune when she was worried about the fickle heart of her husband, and was beset by heartrending sorrow when she saw the fireflies flying over the Kibune River, which prompted her to set down her feelings in a poem. Legend has it that shortly thereafter, her prayers were answered, and her relationship with her husband returned to normal. At the Kibune Matsuri held on the 7th of July every year, many people engaged in work related to the use of water, such as the food industry, cake production and brewing, etc., visit the shrine to pray. Furthermore, during the evening hours until dusk during the summer in July, the bamboo grass around the main hall and in other parts of the shrine grounds are illuminated, an event known as the Tanabata Sasa Bamboo Grass Illumination. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
| Kifune Shrine, Hongu (main hall) |
|
 |
|
| Kifune Shrine Sando (approach road) |
|
|
