Miare-shinji of Kamigamo Shrine

Miare-shinji of Kamigamo Shrine is presented here. Miare-shinji is held every year on May 12th. Miare-shinji is an ancient Shinto ritual to welcome the god. It is said that the word “Miare” refers to the appearance and descent of the god. Miare-shinji is held on the evening of May 12th, before Aoi Matsuri Festival held on May 15th, and is the oldest and most important Shinto ritual at Kamigamo Shrine.

• Miare-shinji Schedule
• Kamigamo Shrine Location Map ＆ Directions
• Miare-shinji brief overview

【Miare-shinji 2024 Schedule (confirmation required)】

Miare-shinji 2024 will be held on the evening of Sunday, May 12th, 2024. It is not open to the public.
Aoi Matsuri Festival 2024

【Kamigamo Shrine Location Map ＆ Directions】

Address: 339 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Kamigmojinja-mae bus stop (short walk), Subway Kitayama Station (about 15 minutes on foot)

【Miare-shinji brief overview】

Miare-shinji (御阿礼神事) of Kamigamo Shrine (上賀茂神社) is the zen-gi (preliminary event) of Aoi Matsuri Festival (葵祭) Roto-no-gi (Period Procession), which is held every year on May 15th, and is held every year on May 12th. (In case of bad weather, Roto-no-gi is postponed to the next day, the 16th.) Miare-shinji is an ancient Shinto ritual to welcome the god. It is said that the word “Miare” refers to the appearance and descent of the god. Miare-shinji is held on the evening of May 12th, before Aoi Matsuri Festival held on May 15th, and is the oldest and most important Shinto ritual at Kamigamo Shrine. Miare-shinji is considered a secret Shinto ritual and is not open to the public. In Miare-shinji, the saijo (ceremonial site) is set up on in Miareno, which is located in a corner of Maruyama located between Kamigamo Shrine and Mt. Koyama, where Kamo Wakeikaduchi-no-mikoto, the deity of Kamigamo Shrine is said to have descended. The saijo (ceremonial site) is surrounded on all sides by evergreen trees such as pine, cypress, and sakaki, and the himorogi is set up, and two piles of cone-shaped sand called “tatezuna” are placed in front of the himorogi. The divine spirit is transferred to the sakaki with the warihei attached, and the divine spirit is taken to Honden (Main Hall).

★Mt. Koyama is located about 2 kilometers northwest of Kamigamo Shrine and rises 301.5 meters above sea level. According to the legend of Kamigamo Shrine, Kamowakeikazuchi no Mikoto, the deity of Kamigamo Shrine, descended on Mt. Koyama in ancient times. It is said that Mt. Koyama became a shrine site in 843 during the early Heian period (794-1185), and that hunting was banned by the Dajokanpu (Great Council) in 884. On the summit of Mt. Koyama is the Suijaku (Descending Stone), huge rocks arranged in a circle. It is said that hollyhocks also grow in clusters on Mt. Kamiyama.
★”Tatezuna” is said to be the origin of the purifying sand sprinkled at the Demon Gate. At Kamigamo Shrine, “tatezuna” is modeled after Mt. Koyama, where Kamo Wakeikaduchi-no-mikoto, the deity of Kamigamo Shrine, descended from in the ancient times. In “tatezuna”,　three pine needles (yo) are placed on the left side and two (in) on the right side.
★Saio, the origin of Saio-dai, was the are-otome (girl) who served at Kamo Shrine (Kamigamo Shrine, Shimogamo Shrine) ceremony to welcome the god. In the past, Saio was chosen from among the unmarried princesses (naishinno) and queens (joo), who were the daughters of the emperor. By the way, Saio was also called Itsuki-no-miko.
★Honden (Main Hall, National Treasure) was rebuilt in 1863. Honden enshrines Kamo Wakeikaduchi-no-Mikoto (Kamo Wakeikaduchi-no-Okami), and is dedicated to sacred objects (sacred clothing, tableware, etc.).

【Miare-shinji of Kamigamo Shrine remarks】
Always check with the organizer for event information. Information on this site is for reference only. Contents of the event may have changed.
葵祭2024日程（行事・・・）