Jonan-gu Shrine (城南宮)
Jonan-gu Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. It was listed in the Jinmyocho (Register of Deities) of the Engishiki (procedures of the Engi era) and ranked as a Fusha (prefectural shrine) under the old shrine classification system.
The shrine is also known as 'Hoyoke no Taisha.'
Enshrined deities
The main deities are Okinagatarashihime no Mikoto (Empress Jingu), Yachitose no Kami (Okuninushi no Kami) and Kunitokotachi no Mikoto which are enshrined with Amaterasu Omikami, the Emperor Ojin, Wake-Ikazuchino Kami, Oyamakui no Kami, Amenokoyane no Mikoto and Ukemochi no Kami.
History
The specific time of the shrine's founding is unknown. The shikinaisha (shrine listed in the Engishiki Jinmyocho) 'Mahataki-jinja Shrine' that stood on the site is said to have originated with the dedication of the flag flown during Empress Jingu's Conquest of the Three Korean Kingdoms to which the spirits of Empress Jingu and Yachitose no Kami (Okuninushi no Kami) had become attached. Kunitokotachi no Mikoto was enshrined at the time of the relocation of the capital city to Heian-kyo and was named 'Jonan no kami' after the location to the south of the castle. When Toba villa (Jonan villa) was built by the Emperor Shirakawa, the shrine became part of the estate and was frequently visited by successive emperors and retired emperors. The shrine came to offer accommodation for nobles travelling a route that would allow them to avoid the misfortune associated with unlucky directions and it became worshipped as a shrine for warding off evil and the misfortune of unlucky directions as it protected the northeast of Kyoto Imperial Palace.
It fell into deterioration due to conflicts such as the Onin War but was restored during the Edo period. At the end of the Edo period, the shrine served as the battlefield for the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. The Emperor Komei visited the shrine in 1863 to pray for the expulsion of foreigners from Japan.
In 1877, Jonan-gu Shrine was determined to be the 'Mahataki-jinja Shrine' listed in the Jinmyocho (Register of Deities) of the Engishiki (procedures of the Engi era) and its name was changed to 'Mahataki-jinja Shrine.'
In 1948, the name 'Jonan-gu Shrine' was restored and a new auxiliary shrine named 'Mahataki-jinja Shrine' was built within the precinct.