Kifune Okumiya: The Sacred Boat Rock of Tamayori-hime and Dragon Springs
Why is it significant?
Conclude your sacred journey at the Okumiya, the original and innermost sanctuary of Kifune Shrine, nestled in a deep, brooding mountain amphitheater seven hundred meters upstream from the main shrine.
Key Facts
| Place | Kifune Okumiya: The Sacred Boat Rock of Tamayori-hime and Dragon Springs |
|---|---|
| Address | Kuramakibunecho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto 601-1112, Japan |
| Geo Coordinates | 35.12820, 135.76420 |
| Part of Walk | Kyoto: Kurama and Kibune, Sacred Mountain Sanctuaries and River Shrines |
| Generated | Generated |
Conclude your sacred journey at the Okumiya, the original and innermost sanctuary of Kifune Shrine, nestled in a deep, brooding mountain amphitheater seven hundred meters upstream from the main shrine. Giant Japanese cedars, many over several centuries old, tower over the secluded courtyard where moss carpets every stone. Here, where the mountain valley narrows into primeval wilderness, you stand upon the very spot where Kifune Shrine was first established sixteen hundred years ago. Moss carpets every boulder and tree trunk in velvety emerald, muffling your footsteps as you enter the sacred precinct.
To the left of the weathered wooden sanctuary rests the Funagata-ishi, or Boat-Shaped Stone. According to ancient Shinto chronicle, Tamayori-hime, the mother of Japan's legendary first emperor Jimmu, sailed up the rivers from Osaka Bay in a yellow boat seeking the sacred source of Kyoto's life-giving waters. Upon arriving here, she moored her vessel, covered it completely with river stones to conceal its sacred form, and established this shrine.
Beneath the main sanctuary building lies the Ryuketsu, or Sacred Dragon Hole, an unfathomable subterranean cavern regarded as one of Japan's Three Great Dragon Wells. In medieval times, so revered was this cavity that master carpenters repairing the shrine were strictly forbidden from dropping even a single wood chip into the opening, on pain of divine lightning and storms.
Breathe in the pure, damp mountain air and listen to the eternal trickle of the river headwaters flowing down from the high northern peaks. The ancient silence of this primeval grove feels completely untouched by the centuries that have transformed the city below.
Stand before the sacred boat stone and reflect on your mountain traverse, which began at the Tengu station of Kurama and concluded here at the primeval dragon springs that have nourished Kyoto's civilization for over sixteen centuries.