Heian Jingu Shrine: Kyoto’s Grand Shrine Honoring the Ancient Capital

Introduction

Heian Jingu Shrine was founded in 1895 (Meiji 28) to mark the 1,100th anniversary of the capital’s move to Heian-kyo. Its buildings reproduce the Chodoin, the state halls of Heian-kyo, at about five-eighths scale. It enshrines Emperor Kanmu, who founded Heian-kyo, and Emperor Komei, regarded as the last emperor of Heian-kyo.

Surrounding the buildings is the Shin-en, a strolling pond garden of about 33,000 square meters (roughly 10,000 tsubo) created by Ogawa Jihei VII and designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty. It is known for its weeping cherry trees in spring and irises in early summer. This article covers the shrine’s history, highlights, nearby sights and access.

Overview of Heian Jingu Shrine

Heian Jingu Shrine is in the Okazaki area of Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. Its former shrine ranking was Kanpei Taisha (a major imperial shrine).

*Please check the official Heian Jingu Shrine website for the latest worship hours and admission fees.

The Chodoin was the heart of Heian-kyo, where the emperor held state ceremonies such as enthronements and New Year audiences. At Heian Jingu, the Outer Worship Hall (Gaiheiden) stands for the Daigokuden (Great Audience Hall), the Shrine Gate (Shinmon) for the Otenmon Gate, and the Soryu-ro and Byakko-ro towers complete the picture, with vermilion pillars and green-tiled roofs.

Six buildings from the founding, the Daigokuden, Otenmon Gate, Soryu-ro, Byakko-ro and the east and west corridors, are National Important Cultural Properties; the grand torii and other structures are National Registered Tangible Cultural Properties; and the Shin-en garden is a National Place of Scenic Beauty. At the Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages) every October 22, a procession of about 2,000 people sets out from the Kyoto Imperial Palace and ends at Heian Jingu.

History of Heian Jingu Shrine

1. The Memory of the Capital Transfer — Emperor Kanmu and the Birth of Kyoto

On October 22, 794 (Enryaku 13), Emperor Kanmu, the 50th emperor, moved from Nagaoka-kyo to the new capital he had built in the Kadono and Otagi districts of Yamashiro Province and named it Heian-kyo. Kyoto remained the capital for more than 1,000 years, until the de facto move to Tokyo in 1869 (Meiji 2). That date, October 22, later became the date of the Jidai Matsuri.

Heian-kyo was laid out on a grid, with the Dairi (the emperor’s residence) and the Chodoin (the hall of government and ceremony) at its center.

2. The Shock of the Meiji Restoration — The Capital Moves to Tokyo and Kyoto’s Crisis

Much of central Kyoto burned in the Kinmon Incident of 1864, and the de facto move of the capital to Tokyo in 1869 stripped the city of its political and economic base. The population fell by about a third, and people said the city would “one day become a home for foxes and raccoon dogs.”

Kyoto responded with a series of recovery projects: building elementary schools, digging the Lake Biwa Canal, using its water power to generate electricity and run streetcars, and holding expositions. The culmination was a plan for three events together: the founding of Heian Jingu, the 4th National Industrial Exposition, and the festival marking 1,100 years since the capital’s founding.

3. 1895 (Meiji 28): The Founding of Heian Jingu — Reviving the Ancient Capital Through Civic Spirit

Heian Jingu was founded on March 15, 1895 (Meiji 28), as a Kanpei Taisha enshrining Emperor Kanmu. The 4th National Industrial Exposition was held in Okazaki from April 1 to July 31 that year, and the Daigokuden, Otenmon Gate and other buildings were erected in front of the main sanctuary as its monuments. The design and construction were supervised by Kigo Kiyoyoshi and Ito Chuta.

In 1940 (Showa 15), to mark the 2,600th year of the imperial calendar, Emperor Komei, the 121st emperor, was enshrined alongside Emperor Kanmu. Komei is regarded as the last emperor of Heian-kyo, so the shrine now honors both the emperor who began Kyoto’s history as capital and the one who closed it.

The festival for the 1,100th anniversary of the capital ran for three days from October 22, 1895, and a historical costume procession was held on the 25th as part of the celebrations. From the following year, with the addition of the sacred procession of the deities, it became the Jidai Matsuri, held every October 22.

4. The Showa-Era Trial — The 1976 Arson and Reconstruction

Before dawn on January 6, 1976 (Showa 51), arson by a radical destroyed the east and west main sanctuaries, the Inner Worship Hall and other buildings.

Reconstruction, supported by donations from across Japan, was completed in April 1979 (Showa 54). The main sanctuary was rebuilt as a single copper-roofed building combining the two that were lost, while the Inner Worship Hall closely follows its predecessor.

5. Heian Jingu Today — A Premier Kyoto Tourist Destination

In 2002 (Heisei 14), the grand torii and the buildings built in 1940 were registered as National Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, and in 2010 (Heisei 22) the six founding-era buildings were designated National Important Cultural Properties. The Shin-en garden had been designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 1975 (Showa 50).

ROHM Theatre Kyoto and the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art stand nearby, making the Okazaki area a cluster of cultural facilities.

Highlights and Recommended Spots

1. The Grand Torii Gate — A 24-Meter Vermilion Landmark

The grand torii on Jingu-michi is a reinforced-concrete gate about 24 meters tall and 18 meters wide. It was built in 1929 (Showa 4) by the Heian Kosha, the citizens’ association that runs the Jidai Matsuri, to commemorate Emperor Showa’s enthronement ceremony held in Kyoto in 1928. The shrine’s official website says it was the largest torii in Japan when built.

The torii stands outside the precincts, on Jingu-michi to the south, right next to the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art and ROHM Theatre Kyoto.

The classic shot frames the torii head-on from the south end of Jingu-michi. In spring you can combine it with the cherry trees along the Lake Biwa Canal.

2. The Outer Worship Hall (Daigokuden) and Otenmon Gate — Experiencing the Chodoin of Heian-kyo

Pass through the Otenmon Gate and a wide courtyard of white gravel opens up, with the Outer Worship Hall (Gaiheiden) straight ahead. Modeled on the Daigokuden, it has a hip-and-gable roof of green tiles and vermilion pillars.

To its east and west stand the Soryu-ro and Byakko-ro towers. Their names come from the Blue Dragon guarding the east and the White Tiger guarding the west, reflecting the Four Gods concept behind the layout of Heian-kyo.

The corridors are hung with lanterns decorated with the Four Gods, donated in 1905 (Meiji 38).

3. Shin-en Garden — A Scenic Garden by Ogawa Jihei VII

The Shin-en consists of four gardens, east, central, west and south, surrounding the shrine buildings, covering about 33,000 square meters (roughly 10,000 tsubo). It was created by Ogawa Jihei VII (known as “Ueji”) and others: the west and central gardens date from the founding, the east garden from the early Taisho era. It was designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 1975 (Showa 50).

The ponds are fed by the Lake Biwa Canal. Because the water has been filtered as it is drawn in, the garden has been sheltered from invasive species and is home to endangered fish such as the ichimonji tanago bitterling, now rarely seen in Lake Biwa itself.

The double-flowered red weeping cherries of the South Garden appear in Tanizaki Jun’ichiro’s novel “The Makioka Sisters.” In early June about 2,000 irises of some 200 varieties bloom around Byakko-ike pond in the West Garden, and in May the rabbit-ear irises (kakitsubata) around Soryu-ike pond in the Central Garden are at their best. The Garyu-kyo stepping stones in the Central Garden reuse pillars from the Sanjo and Gojo bridges built under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Allow about 30 to 40 minutes to walk the full circuit.

4. Taihei-kaku (Bridge Hall) — The Iconic Bridge of the East Garden

Taihei-kaku, spanning Seiho-ike pond in the East Garden, is a roofed bridge hall (hashidono). It and the Shobikan hall on the pond’s edge were moved here from the Kyoto Gyoen (Imperial Park) in 1913 (Taisho 2).

Sitting in Taihei-kaku, you look across the pond to Shobikan and to Mt. Kacho in the Higashiyama hills as borrowed scenery. The Crane and Turtle islands in the pond represent the mythical Mt. Horai, and the bridge is busiest when the weeping cherries on the far shore bloom.

5. Jidai Matsuri — The Spectacular Historical Procession of Kyoto’s Three Great Festivals

The Jidai Matsuri is Heian Jingu’s grand festival, held every October 22 (postponed in case of rain), and is counted with the Aoi Matsuri and Gion Matsuri as one of Kyoto’s three great festivals.

The procession moves back through history from the Meiji Restoration to the Enryaku era, with 20 groups, about 2,000 people and a length of about 2 kilometers. The costumes and ritual items are made on the basis of historical research. At its core, the procession escorts the sacred palanquins carrying the spirits of the enshrined deities through the city.

The procession leaves the Kyoto Imperial Palace at noon and, via Karasuma-dori, Oike-dori, Kawaramachi-dori and Sanjo-dori, reaches Heian Jingu around 2:30 PM. Paid seating is available, and you can also watch from the roadside. An easy plan is to visit the shrine in the morning and watch the procession from the route in the afternoon. Note that on October 22 the garden accepts visitors only from 9:30 to 11:30 AM.

Nearby Attractions

Nanzenji Temple — The Highest-Ranking Zen Temple, “Above the Five Mountains”

Nanzenji Temple, about a 15-minute walk east of Heian Jingu, holds the rank of “Gozan no Ue,” placed above the Five Mountains Zen temples of Kyoto and Kamakura. Its Sanmon gate, about 22 meters tall, is famous as a setting in the kabuki play “Romon Gosan no Kiri,” and visitors can climb to its upper level. The National Treasure Hojo (Abbot’s Quarters) has sliding-door paintings by the Kano school, and its garden is known as the “Tiger Cubs Crossing the Water” garden.

The Meiji-era brick aqueduct (Suirokaku) crossing the grounds is another highlight. Walking along the Lake Biwa Canal links Nanzenji and Heian Jingu easily.

Gion — Kyoto’s Premier Geisha District and Traditional Culture

Gion, about 10 minutes from Heian Jingu by city bus or about 25 minutes on foot, is Kyoto’s best-known geisha district. Hanamikoji-dori is lined with teahouses and restaurants, and Gion Shinbashi along the Shirakawa canal is designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

At nearby Kenninji Temple you can see Tawaraya Sotatsu’s “Wind God and Thunder God” folding screens (reproduction) and the twin dragons painted on the Dharma Hall ceiling.

Ginkakuji Temple and the Philosopher’s Path — Higashiyama Culture and a Serene Walking Trail

Ginkakuji Temple (Jishoji), about 10 minutes by bus or 30 minutes on foot northeast of Heian Jingu, was built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the 8th Muromachi shogun, and represents Higashiyama culture. In contrast to Kinkakuji Temple, it has the restrained Silver Pavilion (Kannon-den) and the white sand forms of Kogetsudai and Ginshadan.

The Philosopher’s Path runs about 2 kilometers south from Ginkakuji along a branch of the Lake Biwa Canal and takes its name from the philosopher Nishida Kitaro, who walked it deep in thought. It is lined with cherry blossoms in spring and colored leaves in autumn. Walking Ginkakuji, the Philosopher’s Path, Nanzenji and Heian Jingu in sequence takes about 2 to 2.5 hours in total.

How to Get There

By Train

• Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line: About a 10-minute walk from Higashiyama Station (most recommended)
• From JR Kyoto Station: Take the Karasuma Line to Karasuma Oike Station, transfer to the Tozai Line, and get off at Higashiyama Station (approximately 15 minutes)
• Keihan Railway: About a 15-minute walk from Sanjo Station or Jingu-Marutamachi Station

By Bus

• Kyoto City Bus Route 5: Get off at “Okazaki Koen Bijutsukan/Heian Jingu-mae,” about a 5-minute walk
• Kyoto City Bus Routes 46/32: Get off at “Okazaki Koen ROHM Theatre Kyoto/Miyakomesse-mae,” about a 5-minute walk
• About 30 minutes from JR Kyoto Station on City Bus Route 5

By Car

• About 20 minutes from Kyoto-Higashi IC on the Meishin Expressway
• Use the Okazaki Park parking lot (paid, approximately 500 spaces) or the underground parking at Kyoto City Kangyokan Miyakomesse
• Roads around the shrine become extremely congested during cherry blossom season, autumn foliage season, and on Jidai Matsuri day; public transportation is strongly recommended

Recommended Access

From Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Line, walk east along Sanjo-dori and turn north onto Jingu-michi; the grand torii appears straight ahead. The road continues straight to the Otenmon Gate, so you approach the shrine through the torii as intended. The Tozai Line is also convenient if you combine your visit with Nanzenji Temple or the Gion area.

Conclusion

Heian Jingu was built as the culmination of Kyoto’s Meiji-era recovery and reproduces the Chodoin at about five-eighths scale. Aim for the weeping cherries in April, the irises in June, or the Jidai Matsuri on October 22.

Combined with nearby Nanzenji Temple, Kenninji Temple and the Gion area, you can cover the Higashiyama district in a day.

Frequently Asked Questions