With this image we enter into the world and cosmos of Kamigamo Shrine in northeast Kyoto. Looking at one shrine in depth will exemplify many of the themes we've seen thus far, providing additional evidence of the amazing variety and depth within Shinto practice.
Officially called Kamowake Ikazuchi Jinja, (pronounced "Kahmoh wahkay iikazuchi") the shrine is one of the oldest in the Kyoto basin, dating back to around 550 CE--over 200 years before the capital city was established (794). The shrine's kami, Wake Ikazuchi, embodies thunder, lightning, and storms, and serves in a dual role: first, as a barrier to protect the imperial capital from all kinds of threats associated with the inauspicious northeast direction, and second, to threaten the court with flooding rivers or excessive rain should the Kamo clan's interests not be adequately accommodated by the court.
Due to its importance to the imperial court, Kamigamo Shrine is ranked second only to the Ise Grand shrines and receives an imperial messenger each year at its massive "aoi" or Hollyhock festival. In 1995, the shrine was designated as one of the United Nations' "World Heritage Sites."
Kamigamo Shrine is the subject of my forthcoming book Enduring Identies: the Guise of Shinto in Contemporary Japan.
All photos and text © Copyright John K. Nelson, 1999