🌨️🌦️THE HOME OF THE HEADSPRING GODS🐎🙏
A snowy trip to Kifune-jinja (貴船神社), home to Takaokami (高龗神 aka Kuraokami 闇龗神), a god that can summon clouds, and so presides over rain, sunshine and water in general.
Prayers have long be said at the shrine in times of drought or floods.
In times of emergency, when there was too much or too little rain, emperors would dedicate a horse to Kifune-jinja (貴船神社): a black horse when praying for rain, a white horse when relief was needed from the rain.
This is said to be the origin of 'ema' votive tablets (絵馬 lit. 'picture-horse').
Kifune-jinja's foundation date is unclear, but its origins began with the arrival of Tamayori-hime (玉依毘売命), the divine mother of Emperor Jimmu, Japan's first emperor.
She sailed up the Yodo-gawa and Kamo-gawa rivers on a yellow boat, until she came upon a spring in the mountains.
#Kyoto #Japan #Kibune #Kibunegawa #Kamogawa #Yodogawa #Tamayorihime #玉依毘売命
Tamayori-hime enshrined the deity of water, Takaokami (高龗神), at the spring. To ensure no mortal eyes looked upon her sacred boat she buried it beneath rocks, and the shrine was later constructed above it.
'Kifune' 🟡🛶 'Yellow Boat' (黄船) ➡️ 😇🛶 'Sacred Boat' (貴船).
Camellia Tea Ceremony