Yasaka Shrine

Yasaka Shrine stands in the Higashiyama Ward of Kyoto, at the foot of the Eastern Mountains on the eastern edge of Kyoto's basin. The shrine's approach path stretches from the Gion shopping district and Hanamikoji, with its western gate at the terminus of Shijō Street marking a symbolic gateway to the Gion area. It is the head shrine of approximately 2,300 Gion and Yasaka shrines across Japan.

The principal enshrined kami (shusaijin) is Susanoo-no-Mikoto, accompanied by Kushiinada-Hime-no-Mikoto (his consort) and the Eight Divine Children (Yahashira-no-Mikogami). According to the *Kojiki* (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE), Susanoo-no-Mikoto was born from the nose of Izanagi-no-Kami and is known for slaying the Eight-Headed Serpent and the founding of Izumo. From the medieval period onward, the deity was identified with the Buddhist Gozu Tennō (Ox-Head Celestial King) and venerated primarily for protection against epidemic disease.

Tradition holds that the shrine was founded in 656 CE when Irishi, an envoy from Koguryŏ, brought a cult image of Susanoo-no-Mikoto from the Gozu Mountain in Silla. Following the Gion Goryo ritual of 869 CE—considered the origin of the Gion Festival—the shrine became widely revered as a centre for quelling pestilence. After the Shinto-Buddhist separation (shinbutsu-bunri) of the Meiji period, it was renamed from Gion Kanjin-in to Yasaka Shrine. The main hall (honden) was rebuilt by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi in 1654 and designated a National Treasure in 2009.

The Gion Festival, held from 1–31 July, is one of Japan's three great festivals. Its two processions—the front festival on 17 July and the rear festival on 24 July—are designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.