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The sight of students as they visit the shrine to pray for success in their examinations evokes a fresh, unspoiled image. The sweet fragrance of ume blossoms will tickle your nose as you enter the grounds of Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine, which is devoted to the god of learning and former government official, Minister Sugawara-no-Michizane (845-903 AD). This time of year, with its combination of exams and ume blossom, can certainly be called one of the typical scenes of winter in Kyoto.
It is said Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine, where Sugawara-no-Michizane is enshrined, dates back to the first year of the Tenryaku Period (947 AD) when the Shinto priests Tajihi-no-Ayako and Hira-no-Miya, along with Miwa-no-Yoshitane and Saichin of the Kitano Asahi Temple, first built a shrine on this spot.
Today, along with Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine is known as the headquarters of the Tenmangu and Tenjin Shrines. After its foundation, a wide variety of people have visited the shrine, ranging from the Emperor of Japan and the royal family, to members of the Imperial Court, the nobility, members of the samurai class, wealthy merchants, and common folk. In particular, the shrine is believed to be the home of the god of learning and the arts. Accordingly, the shrine is famous for the number of students who come every year to pray for success in passing their examinations, and many local citizens affectionately call the shrine "Tenjin San."
Along with a building in the elegant style of construction representative of the Momoyama Period, said to have been constructed by Toyotomi Hideyori (1592-1615), and the Sanko Gate, with the Chinese characters "Tenmangu" written by the Emperor Gosai (1638-1685), there are many structures on the shrine grounds that have been specified as national treasures or important cultural properties, and each of these cultural properties show how popular the shrine was with the powerful political figures who influenced each successive age. In addition, the shape of the central piece connecting the upper and lower lintels of the torii gate at Tomojisha Shrine (which is consecrated to Tomoji, the mother of Michizane) and the engraving of the pedestals of the gate are unusual enough that this gate is considered one of the three rare torii gates of Kyoto.
In contrast, as Michizane was known to have a deep love for ume blossoms (Japanese apricot), there is a long-standing tradition of planting ume trees: these now cover the grounds of the shrine, creating a famous ume blossom spot that has become a well-known feature of Kyoto, drawing a continual stream of visitors from all over the country at this time of year.
Another notable feature connected to Minister Michizane is the enshrinment of a number of oxen along the approach road to the shrine, which reflects not only his birth in the year of the ox (according to the Chinese zodiac), but also an incident related to his burial - as his corpse was being transported by ox-drawn carriage, the ox suddenly fell to its knees and refused to continue, so Minister Michizane was buried at a nearby temple. It is said that if you touch the head or the horns of the kneeling statue of an ox on the shrine grounds, considered a messenger from the gods, your brain will be vitalized and that if you touch its body, any illness you have in the same bodily location will be cured.
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| Shaden-Hall |
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| Sankomon Gate |
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| Tomojisha Shrine Torii Gate |
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| Kneeling ox statue |
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