Hirano Shrine

Hirano Shrine stands in a quiet neighborhood just west of Kitano Tenmangu in Kita-ku, Kyoto. It is an ancient shrine ranked among the Twenty-Two Shrines, and its roots are thought to go back to the time Heian-kyo was founded. Its chief deity, Imaki no Kami, was originally worshipped as an ancestral god of Takano no Niigasa, the mother of Emperor Kanmu. The shrine enshrines four deities in all.

The main sanctuary was built in 1625 and 1632 and is designated an Important Cultural Property. Four halls stand in two linked pairs, a rare style known as Hirano-zukuri, and every hall faces east. The worship hall was brought down by Typhoon No. 21 in 2018 and its restoration was completed in September 2021. The south gate, a yakui-mon, was moved to its present site in 1943.

The shrine is best known for its cherry trees. Tradition says Emperor Kazan planted trees here in 985, and in the Edo period the place was famous for its night cherry blossoms. Today there are about 60 varieties, around 400 trees, blooming in turn from late March to early May. The Cherry Blossom Festival is held on April 10. Kitano Tenmangu is only about 440 m away, and Kinkaku-ji about 820 m.