Hatsumōde Adventures in Kyoto: Kurumazaki Shrine.
Hatsumōde is the first Buddhist temple, or Shinto shrine, visited during the Japanese New Year.
Kurumazaki Shrine is a small shrine near Arashiyama’s Togetsukyo Bridge. There is a famed sub-shrine where entertainment industry professionals come to pray. It is considered a power spot by many.
The shrine is dedicated to Yorinari Kiyohara (1122-1189), a Confucian scholar from the late Heian Period.
According to shrine legend, when Emperor Gosaga was riding his ox cart past the shrine, the ox suddenly stopped moving, and the yoke was broken, hence the name Kurumazaki Shrine.
According to shrine legend, when Emperor Gosaga was riding his ox cart past the shrine, the ox suddenly stopped moving, and the yoke was broken, hence the name Kurumazaki Shrine.
