Heian-jingu
The Heian-jingū ( Japanese 平安 神宮 ) is a Shintō shrine in the Sakyō district of the Japanese city of Kyoto . It dates from the 19th century and belongs to the Chokusaisha .
history
The shrine was built in 1895 on the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Heian-kyō , today's Kyōto, by the then Emperor Kammu . In 1940, Emperor Kōmei , the last emperor with the seat of government in Heian-kyō, was enrolled in Heian-jingū. The shrine is based on the palace of the Emperor of Heian-kyō, the Daidairi , but is limited to two thirds of the buildings.
The shrine
A few hundred meters south of the shrine, the 24.2 m high torii made of reinforced concrete with a 33.9 m long cross beam draws attention to it. It is the second largest in Japan after the torii of the Yasukuni Shrine .
In front of the shrine there is a water basin with ladles for ritual cleansing, the Chōyuza (手 水 舎; “1” in the drawing). You then enter the facility through the Ōtemmon (応 天 門; "2") called gate. In the forecourt on the left in front of the wall is the Gakuden (額 殿; "3") and on the right in front of the wall the Kaguraden (神 楽 殿; "4").
One then climbs a little up to the rear courtyard, called the "dragon tail pedestal" (龍尾 壇: Ryūbi-dan). The corner pavilion on the left is called “Pavilion of the White Tiger” (白虎 楼, Byakko-rō; “5”), the corner pavilion on the right is called “Pavilion of the Green Dragon” (蒼龍 楼, Seiryū-rō; “6”).
You stand in front of the main hall , the Daigoku-den (大 極 殿; "7"). In front of it on the left is a citrus tree, on the right a cherry tree. Behind the main hall, after a narrow forecourt, there is the prayer hall (内 拝 殿, Uchi-haiden; "8") and then the holy of holies, the Honden (本 殿; "9").
The garden
The garden of the gods (神 苑, Shin'en) is laid out around the building and is accessed through an entrance west of Daigoku-den. The garden is 33,000 m² and consists of the four areas south garden, west garden, middle garden and the large east garden. It is laid out as a Japanese convertible garden in the style of the Meiji period , is criss-crossed by paths and contains several ponds that are connected to each other. A small pond (A) in the west garden is followed by a larger one, the “pond of the white tiger” (B). The “Pond of the Green Dragon” (C) followed in the central garden: the “Four Gods” motif is added twice here. In the middle garden there is a flat bridge to an island, the "bridge of the stretching dragon" (臥龍 橋, Garyū-bashi). The pond (D) in the east garden, which is also called Seihō pond (栖鳳 池), is crossed in the south by a bridge that is covered in the middle by the Sobeikaku pavilion (素 兵 閣).
The garden was designed by the garden designer Ogawa Jihei (小川 治 兵衛; 1860-1936), who also designed the Furukawa Garden . The garden is known for its hanging cherries, irises, and wisteria. It is registered as a "National Beautiful View" (国 名勝, Kuni-meishō).
Others
In the procession of the Jidai-Matsuri on October 22nd each year, the Mikoshi of the two emperors are carried from the Kyōto Gosho to the Heian-jingū and stored there in a special warehouse.
On the evenings of June 1st and 2nd, there are no theater performances in the shrine, so-called Takigi-No dances.
Remarks
- ↑ These are two of the "four gods" (四 神, Shijin) who are connected with the cardinal points. The white tiger stands for west, the green dragon for east.
photos
Main gate of the Heian-jingū
literature
- Kyoto-fu rekishi isan kenkyukai (Ed.): Heian Jingu . In: Kyoto-fu no rekishi sampo (chu). Yamakawa Shuppan, 2011. ISBN 978-4-634-24726-0 . Pp. 13 to 14.
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 1 '0.26 " N , 135 ° 46' 56.45" O