Famous for its god of love and the stone for marriage, Jishu-jinja Shrine is always crowded to pray for good luck in a couple.
Jishu-jinja (Jishu) is an ancient temple located behind Kiyomizudera, a famous Buddhist temple in Kyoto that is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Since 1,300 years ago, the temple has been a sacred destination for Japanese people, especially young girls praying for love. After World War 2, this place became famous and attracted many tourists from all over the world to visit.
The stone is located in front of the Jishu Temple courtyard. Photo: Wow Japan.
In front of the temple are two stones for love, spaced 18 meters apart. According to Japanese legend, if you close your eyes and successfully move from stone to stone, your wish will come true. The faster you go, the sooner you will find your love. When they fail and try again and again, love will have a hard time. During the prayer, you can ask someone to guide you, which corresponds to the need for the help of a third person to have your love.
Recent studies show that this form of intercession comes from a Jomon period ritual that dates back to around 14,500 BC. Today, Jishu Temple is crowded with tourists, if you want to be lucky with the love stone, visitors should come here early in the morning.
The main deity worshiped in the temple is Okuninushi no Mikoto. In Japanese Shinto mythology, after trying to help a white rabbit that has been skinned in the forest, Okuninushi is repaid with the love of the beautiful girl Yakami. However, the two older brothers, after learning the truth about the white rabbit’s magic, get jealous and try to kill Okuninushi.
After being murdered and resurrected twice, he runs away and falls in love with Suseri-hime, daughter of the storm god Susanoo. Overcoming thousands of difficult and dangerous challenges, Okuninushi has conquered the heart of the princess. Today, Okuninushi is the god that symbolizes kindness and luck in love.
Jishu temple stone way of marriage. Video: Youtube.
Not only Okuninushi, the temple also worshiped 6 other gods. Among them is Haraedo no Okami, the god of cleansing the impurities in the human mind and body. Or the idol Nade daikoku-san, which brings luck to those who pray. Legend has it that if you touch the head or the arm of the statue, you will become smarter and have good luck in the exams. If the statue is touched, the couple will soon have children. Finally, the idol’s feet will help bring peace to long trips.
The most prominent on the campus is the shrine of Kurimitsu Inari, where many tourists pray for business and money. Next is the female guardian Okage Myojin and the god Ryoen Daikoku, helping to bring good luck in new relationships. At the end of the shrine is Mizukake Jizo, the deity that helps to ease people’s worries and tensions. In order for your wish to be fulfilled, you must use a wooden ladle, take water and water it on a rock representing the deity.
Cherry blossoms bloom in the grounds of Kiyomizudera Temple. Photo: Dtour.
To visit Jishu Temple, visitors can go to Kiyomizudera Temple, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple is open on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm with an entrance fee of 300 yen (60,000 VND). In addition to visiting temples and shrines, visitors can enjoy spring cherry blossoms. In 811, Emperor Saga visited the temple three times just to see the cherry tree. So the tree here is named Kurumu-gaeshi-no-sakura, which in Japanese means the tree that brings you back.