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Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社
Higashiyama, Kyoto · Open in Google Maps
Yasaka Shrine in Gion is the head of the Yasaka shrines and home of the Gion Matsuri, Kyoto's great summer festival held throughout July. It enshrines Susanoo (long identified with Gozu Tennō, a god against epidemics), his wife Kushinada-hime and their children.
What to look for
- Its vermilion west gate faces the end of Shijō Street and is one of Kyoto's best-known landmarks.
- Inside the grounds, Utsukushi-gozen Shrine is dedicated to the three Munakata goddesses and is visited for beauty; it has a spring of "beauty water".
- Maruyama Park, a famous cherry-blossom spot, is right behind the shrine.
- The dance stage is hung with lanterns that are lit in the evening.
Enshrined kami
- Susanoo 素盞嗚尊
- Kushinada-hime 稲田姫命
- the Eight Divine Children 八柱御子神
What people pray for here
Protection from illness and misfortune, matchmaking and beauty.
Etiquette
It is pleasant in the evening when the lanterns are lit, and an easy start for a walk through Gion and Higashiyama.
New to shrines? Read our short guide to shrine etiquette: purifying your hands, bowing and clapping, offerings, omamori and goshuin.