angieh93

Tuesday was such a sunny day that I simply could not waste it by sitting inside. Sunshine is precious because it gets dark at quarter to 5, so I quickly left my dorm with no particular destination in mind. I walked East across the river and through some of North-East Kyoto before checking where I was on google maps. Finding that I was close to Heian Jingu (平安神宮), one of the major Shinto shrines in Kyoto, I decided to pay it a visit. I actually found another tiny temple nearby and got my book stamped, but I’ll save that for another post.

You may have noticed that its Heian Jingu (神宮) rather than Jinja (神社), this is because rather than being an ordinary shrine, a Jingu is connected to the imperial family. Heian Jingu commemorates two Emperors, Emperor Kanmu and Emperor Komei. While the deification of Emperors stopped after World War II, Emperors prior to this are still deified and are enshrined in Jingu.

The Heian shrine itself is not ancient like most of Kyoto’s sights; it was built in 1895 for the 1,100th anniversary of Heian-kyo. Much like Tokyo used to be called Edo (江戸), Kyoto used to be called Heian-kyo (平安京), so the Heian shrine was really constructed to commemorate the founding of Kyoto itself. If you’re curious as to why and when the name change took place, it’s widely accepted that Heian-kyo became Kyoto at the end of the Heian period; ‘heian’ literally means ‘peace and tranquility’ and at the end of the Heian period (794 – 1185) there was a dispute over the succession that resulted in fighting within the city and the establishment of military rule. This made Heian-kyo a rather ill-fitting name and people began to use Kyoto instead, which just means ‘capital city’.

The first Emperor to be enshrined at Heian Jingu was Empeor Kammu, the 50th Emperor of Japan, who first moved the seat of power to Heian Kyo in 794. Kanmu was a sponsor of Buddhism, funding several trips to China by Japanese monks, though his move of the capital to Heian-kyo was mostly to avoid the increasingly politically influential Buddhist temples in Nara. So it seems he had a love-hate relationship with Buddhisim. Buddhism doesn’t deify the Emperors however, Shinto does, so whether the Buddhists would celebrate him or not remains open for debate. His legacy is largely just the implementation of Kyoto as a capital – prior to this the capital tended to move around depending on the Emperor’s wishes but from 794 onwards the capital remained in Heian-kyo.

The second Emperor of Heian Jingu is Emperor Komei, the last Emperor of Kyoto before the imperial family moved to Tokyo in 1868. He was angered by the presence of ‘barbarians’ and issued orders demanding they be expelled. The foreigners were his downfall in the end as he died of smallpox in 1867. He was the first emperor of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603 – 1868) to be consulted on national affairs – this marked the end of Tokugawa power and an increasing role for the Emperor. The Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown in 1868. (For more information on the presence of ‘barbarians’ in Japan, please see my last post ‘Buddhas and Barbarians’)

To commemorate the founding of the city, the Heian shrine was constructed as a replica of the old Heian-kyo palace (actually at 5/8ths the size due to budget issues) with Japanese style gardens. The shrine itself is magnificent but the gardens are truly spectacular. They were designed by Ogawa Jihei 7th, a very famous Japanese garden designer, and took 20 years to finish. I was lucky in that I went just before close on a week day so I had them largely to myself. They feature several lakes and beautiful trees. In the spring there will be sakura (cherry blossoms) so I’ll be sure to go again. Luckily it was sunny so the red maples were dazzling to look at.

Just past the entrance of the gardens, as you walk round, there is a display of one of the old train carriages used on the Kyoto underground. Quite a strange exhibition for a garden but I thought it was interesting nonetheless. Kyoto’s underground trains are now a bit more modern looking, though it did remind me of the train to Kurama, which, as a less used line, hasn’t had the same updates as the other trains.

The gardens are huge, covering an area of around 33000 square meters. They follow the Japanese ‘natural’ style – the bushes and trees have been shaped to look perfect, and there are some man-made features that blend in with the landscape. There are stepping-stones across one section of the lake, which were fun to cross (though worrying because I was holding my camera). I also made friends with some fish – I stood by the edge of the lake and the koi came swimming up to me. There must have been around 10 staring at me expectantly. Sadly I didn’t have any food to give them – I think on busy days you can buy food to feed them but as they were nearly closing the seller must have gone home. I have been told there are also turtles but sadly I didn’t see any.

Towards the end of the walk around the gardens there is a beautiful bridge across the lake. It has benches on the inside so you can sit and look out across the water. Nearby there is a building for weddings, so I imagine after the wedding people take their pictures on the bridge with the lake in the background.

Entrance to the gardens costs 600円 (£3.20) for adults and 300円 (£1.60) for children, and you can buy the ticket at the gardens’ entrance. I think it’s definitely worth the price – you could easily spend several hours enjoying the gardens, or even just feeding the fish!

I noticed that the luck papers, or o-mikuji (おみくじ – you pick one out at random and it gives you a luck forecast) were tied to branches instead of to ropes as they normally are. From the other side of the temple I thought they were white flowers, but when I looked closer I realised they were folded up paper. You tie on your bad luck in order to stop it from following you out of the shrine gates, ensuring that you don’t have bad luck. If you get good luck you take the paper with you. Like most shrines Meiji Jingu also has prayer tablets which you can buy and write messages or wishes on – as it is a large shrine it has its own design on the back of the tablet (normally its just the animal of the current Chinese year).

I managed to get my book stamped at the entrance of the temple. It cost 300円 and it was hand written. The larger shrine booths also sell all sorts of charms for good luck and safety too – you can see them displayed in front of the booth. Each shrine also sells its own stamp book – the Heian Jingu books were really pretty, perhaps if I fill up this one I’ll buy my next one there!

I think Heian Jingu gardens are a must-see if you are visiting Kyoto and like gardens – they were even better than the ones at the imperial palace (see post ‘Following Imperial Footsteps‘) and the shrine is huge. You can get to the shrine by bus from Kyoto Station, though if you have time walking through Kyoto is something worth doing in itself.

Those visiting Kyoto for only a few days (or even a few weeks) tend to only see the famous temples of Kyoto, but I, having the luxury of time, decided that I should visit my local temples. Though they may not be as impressive as the likes of Fushimi Inari (the one with all the gates) or Kinkaku-ji (the one with all the gold) they have a rich history, and at this time of year any temple with maple trees looks fantastic. Both of these temples are on my road, which is indeed the ‘road of temples’ (寺町通 – teramachi-dori). It was also good to go somewhere close because today was bitterly cold – the humidity here means that the cold really bites.

The first temple I visited was Shojoke-in (清浄華院), a head temple of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism (also known as the Jodo sect). The temple’s name means to strive to reach a state of perfection – it translates to ‘pure petals’, referring to the petals of the lotus flower.

Shojoke-in was originally a Tendai sect temple, founded by the monk Enin in 860. Enin is a figure I’ve learned about before – in first year I had to write about Japanese buddhism and its ‘Japanization’ – Enin was one of the monks that travelled to China to bring back texts and learning. There were several monks at the time that travelled to China to legitimise their knowledge of Buddhism; China was seen as a place of Buddhist learning and Chinese temples and Buddhist masters were greatly respected by Japanese Buddhists. China was the powerhouse of Asian learning and culture at this time (as it was for most of history) and its influence was felt all over Asia. Upon returning to Japan, Enin founded many temples, one of which was Shojoke-in, originally founded near the imperial palace as a training temple.

In the 13th Century the Emperor at the time granted the priest Honen the temple for use as a Pure Land Buddhist temple. Honen was another great monk in Japanese Buddhism – he is considered the founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. Pure Land Buddhism existed in the rest of Asia, but had not gained popularity in Japan. Honen read a text on Pure Land Buddhism that originated in China and began to spread the message throughout Japan.

This sect of Buddhism believes that rather than meditation or other methods to reach enlightenment, people should chant the name of the Amida Buddha to gain salvation and be allowed to travel to the ‘Pure Land’, a paradise. Pure Land Buddhism was originally based on the view that they were living in the ‘Ending of Times of the Law’; there was the view that the world and morality were decaying and people could no longer attain enlightenment, only seek salvation.

Honen Preaching (14th century print)

The Pure Land Buddhist sect’s tendency to invalidate other sects’ practices such as celibacy and meditation led to the main sects of Buddhism in Kyoto petitioning the Emperor to exile Honen. While this didn’t occur straight away, there was a scandal in 1207 in which two of his supporters were suspected of using the chanting time to conduct sexual liaisons. This sex scandal led to the Emperor banishing Honen and executing the two supporters. The chanting of Pure Land Buddhism was banned in Kyoto from 1207 until 1211, when the ban and Honen’s exile were repealed. He died a year later.

Shojoke-in became a head temple due to its proximity to the imperial palace; several members of the royal family became part of the priesthood and this gave it fame and importance. Though it was ruined in the Onin civil war (the war that started the ‘warring states period’ of Japanese history) it was rebuilt in the 16th century. The buildings of the 16th century remain standing today.

I then crossed the road and visited Nashinoki Shrine (梨木神社), a shrine founded in 1885. Despite being much younger than Shojoke-in and most of the other shrines in Kyoto, the architecture remains in the traditional style. Well, besides the huge building site just outside the shrine where they’re building a load of apartments. The crane looming over half of the grounds did somewhat ruin the timelessness of the shrine.

Nashinoki shrine was constructed to enshrine Sanjo Sanetsumu and his son Sanjo Sanetomi (in Japanese surnames go first), both of whom were statesmen in the 19th Century. Their lives span one of the most interesting and pivotal moments of Japanese history: The Meiji Restoration. The father served three generations of Emperors from 1812. Though he did not live to see the Meiji Restoration, he fell out of favour with the shogunate for supporting the restoration of the imperial family and was exiled. His son continued his political ideals and was a key figure of the Meiji government after the restoration of 1868.

The son, Sanjo Sanetomi, was a figurehead of the ‘Sonno Joi’ (尊皇攘夷) movement. Sonno Joi was a slogan that means ‘revere the emperor, expel the barbarians’, and was coined in reaction to the ‘opening’ of Japan by Western powers in the mid-19th century. The Tokugawa shogunate was perceived as failing to manage the ‘barbarians’ that were demanding access to Japanese trade (Japan had a policy of total isolation for over 250 years during the Tokugawa period). The Tokugawa Shogunate were unable to expel the foreigners despite the people’s wishes and so many samurai and Daimyo (regional lords) decided that power should be returned to the throne. After all, a military government derives its legitimacy from military strength – if it cannot expel an invading enemy it loses its right to rule. The Emperor regained power after centuries of military rule in 1868.

Samurai under the ‘Sonno Joi’ banner

“Expelling the Barbarians”

Both the shrine and the temple were practically empty (I went at 3pm on a Tuesday). It feels a bit like intruding into a home when no one else is in the temple, even though I knew both were open. I managed to get my book stamped at Shojoke-in by a monk for 300円 but at Nashinoki Shrine there was a stamp booth but no one around to stamp it. I plan to go back to get my stamp on the weekend when they’ll be more busy.

These shrines, though not strikingly spectacular, were worth the visit for me at least. I got to see beautiful crimson leaves and learn some more about the history of the area that I live in. If you visit Kyoto and have time I would recommend visiting some smaller shrines – many have hidden treasures in the form of gardens or beautiful buildings, and have the added bonus of being far from the maddening crowd.

Also I’ve finally made an archive page (located in the top menu) so if you feel like checking out my other posts its now a lot easier!

japangie

ジャパンジー

Author: angieh93

平安神宮 In Memory of Peace and Tranquillity

京都寺町通 Buddhas and Barbarians