Yase Tenmangu-sha Shrine

The deity enshrined here is Sugawara-no-Michizane (845-903).
The shrine is believed to have been established after Michizane’s death, when his teacher of Buddhism, the priest Son’i (866-940) ceremonially transferred his spirit here. Inside the doors at the rear of the Main Hall is an image of the Eleven-Faced Kannon, which is considered to be the manifestation of Michizane as a Buddha.
When Michizane was young, he regularly visited Mt. Hiei to better himself, and is said to have rested in this area. Until the Edo period, it was called Yase Tenjingu. “Yase” literally means “arrow back,” and during the 672 Jinshin Rebellion, Emperor Tenmu recuperated from an arrow wound here. Thus, the area has very old connections with history.
The Tenmangu Shrine has nine sub-shrines. The Akimoto Shrine on the south of the Main Hall enshrines Akimoto Tajima-no-Kami Takatomo, who was the shogunate elder councilor in charge of the lawsuit that settled the issue of Yase Village’s exemption from taxation when there was a dispute with Mt. Hiei over the borders in 1710; he was enshrined in gratitude, and every year since, the Shamenchi Dance (Tax-Free Land Dance) is performed here.
On the slopes of the mountain behind the shrine is Goshodani (Palace Valley), where the temporary palace of Emperor Godaigo once stood when he was forced to flee to Mt. Hiei by Ashikaga Takauji. On the grounds are a number of other historical sites, including where Emperor Godaigo climbed Mt. Hiei, a monument to the village’s restoration of tax-free status after the Meiji Restoration, a stone carved with a poem by an empress, the Compare Your Height With Benkei Stone, and Michizane’s Seat.
The Tenmangu Shrine’s annual festival is held on May 5th. The Akimoto Shrine’s annual festival, the Shamenchi Dance (performed by the Yase Local Culture Preservation Society) is held the night before Sports Day in October.
Kyoto City