Beautiful line of lanterns (Photo: Tomoko Kamishima)

Kyoto Kawai Jinja Shrine

Pray for your beauty by way of a mirror-shaped tablet

Tomoko Kamishima   - 1 min read

Kawai-jinja Shrine is near the south gate of Tadasu-no-mori Forest at the entrance of Shimogamo Jinja Shrine. Here, we can expect blessings from the shrine's deity for an easy delivery, children’s healthy growth, matchmaking, and so on. Recently, the gods here read (and answer) women’s supplications for their beauty that are made using cute mirror-shaped tablets called kagami ema. Of course I prayed very hard for my own skin! By the way, there is a tiny, mobile, thatched house in these precincts. It is the restoration of a house once lived in by Kamo no Chomei (1153?-1216) who wrote Hojo-ki.

Tomoko Kamishima

Tomoko Kamishima @tomoko.kamishima

Japan is a small island nation, but we have a huge number of surprising things to discover here. Many of these delights can be found when you step off the main street onto small side paths. I really enjoy studying about and researching various aspects of traditional Japanese culture, and then sha...