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Today's Kyoto is well known for its stunningly beautiful Buddhist temple architecture, but aside from its religious significance it also was the center of political power, housing the Imperial Family from 794 to 1867. During the Meiji period the imperial house moved its permanant residence to Tokyo, leaving an emptiness in the hearts of the people of Kyoto. To make up for this great loss in the hearts of the people of Kyoto in 189X, in celebration of the 1,100 anniversary of Kyoto, the city constructed Heian Jingu. The shrine is a scaled down replica of the Daigoku-den (Palace of the Hall of State) of the original capital.

There were two areas where the building of the 2/3 scale recreation of the Daigoku-den was to be placed. The first was on the plot of land the palace originally occupied,just north of Nijo Castle. The final decision however placed the project in the Okazki area of Kyoto. The Heian Shrine was dedicated to the creator of Kyoto, emperor Kammu (737-806), who created the Heiankyo (Kyoto) in 794. Also, entombed in the Daigoku-den is the last emperor to have a permanant residance in Kyoto, emperor Komei. It was decided that the father of the Meiji Emperor be enshrined here in 1940, partly due to a wartime nationalistic movement.

As you approach the Shrine there is a enormous concrete torii, built in 1929, with the imperial chrysanthemum in gold. The gate stands 24 meters tall with a top rail measuring aproximately 33.5 meters long. Travel a bit farther down the road and you will come to the Ote-mon (Main Gateway). The Ote-mon is a two-story, vermilion colored blue tiled structure, modeled after the "Rasho-mon" of 794. Continuing to the east and west and turning north are corridors, also vermilion-painted with blue tiles.

Before you enter the shrine through this gaudy gate make sure your wash up, as is traditional before you enter shrines. The roofed water basin is located to the left of the entrance, just before you go in. As you step through the gate and you are confronted with a wide courtyard covered with white sand. To the left and right sides are the East and West Halls repectively, both decorated as the Ote-mon and corridors in vermilion and blue.

Past the East and West Halls you can see two towers rising into the air. Built in the Chinese pavilion style these towers are known as the Byakko-ro (White Tiger) and the Soryu-ro (Blue Dragon).

Make your way through the courtyard and the building in you will see is the Daigoku-den. The original building of the Old Capital burned to the ground in 1177 and was never rebuilt. The replica you see before you caught on fire and burned down in 1976, only to be reconstructed in 1979. It measures 33 meters long, 12 meters wide, and 16.5 meters tall. You may notice there is a cherry tree to the right and citrus tree to the left of the front steps. Both are trees that would have been found on the grounds of the original palace in the Heian times.

Behind the Daigoku-den is the Honden (Spirit Hall), where the spirits of emperors Kammu and Komei dwell. It was built in a traditional Shinto style, being a tiled roof, green barred windows, and vermillion beams and posts. For those who wish to offer prayers to the spirits here the Haiden (Oratory), located in the Daigoku-den, is where people pray before the Honden.

Now head back to the Byakko-ro (facing the Daigoku-den it's the pavilion on the left) and outside into the garden. The garden was designed by Ogawa Jihei, a modern landscape gardener, to capture and represent the spirit of the Heian gardens. To create this amazing garden, Ogawa even imported plants from Europe. This garden occupies about 30,000 square meters and you really have to walk it to experience it properly. Starting from the west gate of the shrine you stroll through an area that bursts with color in the spring due to being covered with cherry and willow trees.

Continuing on you come upon the Byokko-ike, a pond surrounded by irises that come into full bloom in the summer. Walking behind the temple proper you approach a second pond (Soryu-ike) that you can either go around on either side, or take a path of stones across the pond onto a small island. These stones were once the foundation pillars for the Gojo and Sanjo Bridges and were made obsolete by the modernization of the Meiji Period. Either path is sure to be filled with exquisite plants and flowers.

As you make your way across the stone steps follow the path to the third and largest pond, Seiho Pond. Spanning this water way is an extensive bridge of Chinese style. The Taihei-kaku (Bridge of Peace), is a coverd bridge that is topped with a pheonix whose style is similar to that of the Gold and Silver Pavilions'.

Of the festivals held in Kyoto the most well known are the Aoi Matsuri in May, the Gion Matsuri in July, and the Jidai Matsuri (Festival of Ages) in October. The Jidai Maturi is held every year on Ocotber 22, the date that emperor Kammu moved the the nation's capital to Heiankyo (Kyoto). The festival started in 1895 as one of the commerative ceremonies of the 1,100 anniversary of Kyoto and has been held every year since.

Launched by a group of citizens calling themselves Heian Kosha, the festival first consisted of 500 people with six processions. Meant to creat a sense of pride in the history of Kyoto the festival has become a huge success with over 2,000 participants and 18 processions, each from a different historical era ranging from the first days of Heiankyo to the end of the Edo period.

The parade starts with two imperial carriages carrying hte shrine's objects of worship at nine in the morning. At around 12 noon the parade hits the highpoint lead by a group dressed in the uniforms of the warriors who took the Emperor's side when the shogunate fell. Along with them are appearences by Nobunaga Oda, Murasaki Shikibu, Sei Shonagon, and many others.

All of the costumes and props used in the festival are made with traditonal methods, making them as authentic as possible. The estimated value for the over 12,000 items is around 3 billion yen.

How to get to Heian Jingu

Tours - The Japan Discovery Tours visits Heian Jingu
Click here for more information regarding when Discovery visits this destination.

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