Yasaka Shrine
八坂神社
The heart of Gion, its vermilion gate closing the end of Shijo-dori. Locals call it Gion-san, and it hosts the Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's top three festivals.
Gion-san, born from prayers against epidemics
Yasaka Shrine stands at the eastern end of Shijo-dori, Kyoto's main street, in Gion, the city's famous geisha district. Kyoto people fondly call it Gion-san. Its main deity is Susanowo-no-Mikoto, who was once also known as Gozu Tenno and has long been worshipped as a god who calms epidemics (infectious diseases).
Accounts of its origins differ: one says a man from the Korean Peninsula enshrined a god here in 656, another that a monk built a hall here in 876. When an epidemic spread in 877, prayers offered here are said to have ended it, and the shrine grew greatly after that. Until the Meiji era, when Shinto and Buddhism were officially separated, it was Gion Kanshin-in, a place where gods and buddhas were worshipped together.
The West Gate and the National Treasure main hall
The vermilion gate you see straight ahead from Shijo-dori is the Nishi-romon (West Tower Gate), the symbol of the shrine. Rebuilt in 1497, it is the oldest building in the grounds and an Important Cultural Property. When Shijo-dori was widened in 1913 to make room for a tram line, the whole gate was moved so that it could still be seen from the middle of the street.
The honden (main hall) was designated a National Treasure in 2020. The honden and the haiden (the hall where worshippers pray) sit under one huge roof, a design found nowhere else, and it is the largest main hall of any shrine. The present building was rebuilt by the Edo shogunate in 1654. In the same year as the National Treasure listing, 26 more buildings inside and outside the grounds became Important Cultural Properties, bringing the total to 29.
In the middle of the grounds stands the Buden, a dance pavilion hung with rows of lanterns donated by the teahouses of the geisha districts and by nearby restaurants; it is a memorable sight when they are lit at night. Beside the Utsukushi-gozen-sha, a small shrine within the grounds, is a spring called biyosui (beauty water). It is said that dabbing two or three drops on your skin makes you beautiful in body and mind.
The Gion Matsuri in July
The Gion Matsuri is Yasaka Shrine's festival. It began in 869, when an epidemic was spreading and people prayed for protection by setting up 66 halberds, one for each of the provinces Japan had at the time. Rituals and events continue for a whole month, from 1 to 31 July.
The best-known part is the procession of the lavish yamaboko (huge decorated festival floats), but for the shrine the heart of the festival is the ritual in which three mikoshi (portable shrines) travel through the town. The mikoshi leave the shrine on the evening of 17 July, stay at the otabisho (the gods' temporary resting place) at Shijo-Teramachi until the 24th, and return to the shrine that night.
Maruyama Park, next to the shrine, was once part of its grounds and is one of the best cherry blossom spots in Kyoto. In spring it is well worth combining a visit to the shrine with the blossoms.
Getting there
It is about a 5-minute walk from Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan line and about 8 minutes from Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu line. From Kyoto Station, take city bus 100 or 206 to the Gion stop, which is right by the shrine. There is no car park in the grounds.
Tips
- The West Gate you see from Shijo-dori is the famous one, but the shrine's formal main gate, on the main approach, is the South Gate (Minami-romon); the Gion Matsuri mikoshi set off through it. Try walking in along the southern approach too, where there is a stone torii (the gate that marks a shrine) that is an Important Cultural Property.
- There is no car park in the grounds, so come by train or bus.
- Only during the Gion Matsuri in July, the shrine offers chimaki, charms made from bamboo leaves to ward off bad luck. They are meant to be hung over the entrance of your home.
Sources
Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.
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