Kyoto｜Drawing lottery tickets at Kifune Shrine. Enjoy the greenery in spring and the red maple leaves in autumn. Feel the beautiful poetry of Kyoto.

In the past, I thought Guibune was too far away and didn't include it in my itinerary, but this time I felt like I had come here too late. The maple leaves all over the mountain were overflowing with green. I went up along the Guibune River, listening to the sound of the river and breathing in the fresh air. I felt as if my body, mind and soul were cleansed. Kifune Shrine is the head shrine of the 450 Kifune Shrines in Japan. It deifies Takami-gami, the water god in Japanese mythology, commonly known as Okaminokami. According to legend, there were records of repairs here 1,300 years ago, so the creation time should be even earlier. According to legend, Emperor Jimmu's mother, Tamayorihime, took a yellow boat from the Yodo River and the Kibune River to the present location of Okumiya and built a shrine to worship Takayasu-gami. There is a stone in the shape of a royal ship in the inner palace, which is said to be the transformed yellow ship of that year. Gao Yan God is in charge of water, rivers, clouds and rain. He is the most powerful god among the dragon gods. This is also a famous love shrine. It is said that the water divination about love is particularly accurate, so it is common to see couples coming here to worship together. First, worship in the main hall, then throw money, choose a lot you like from the pile of lots on the left, and finally put the lot into the small pond in front of the main hall. The fortune of the lot will slowly emerge. There are two horse sculptures at the entrance. According to legend, in ancient times, people would offer black horses to the water god for rain and white horses for clear weather. Later, this evolved into ema, and Kifune Shrine is also known as the birthplace of ema. Finally, you can walk to the small road. There are many kawadoka shops along the way, where you can feel the elegance of Kyoto. The green scenery is beautiful. I plan to come again during the maple leaf season to feel the poetry of being surrounded by red maple leaves. 📍Address: 〒601-1112 180, Kurama Kibunecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture 🚗Take the Eizan Railway from Demachiyanagi to Kibune Station, and then take a bus directly to the shrine #AprilGoodPlaces2025