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Kamimusubi-no-kami is enshrined at the Aioi Shrine and many believe this god is the guardian deity of marriage. Even in the Tale of Genji you can find a reference to consulting a marriage oracle. Next to the shrine, there is a Sakaki tree called the Renri-no-sakaki that is considered the sacred tree of marriage because it is composed of two trees that have integrated and merged into one trunk. This is considered as a manifestation of the miraculous efficacy of the Aioi Shrine and also as one of the seven wonders of Kyoto. Tradition has it that when a sakaki tree dies, it is reborn somewhere in the Tadasu-no-mori forest, and the current sacred sakaki tree is the fourth generation. |
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| Aioi Shrine |
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| The merged sakaki tree |
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Votive marriage picture and tablet |
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