Defending Heiankyo from demons

Embracing World Heritage By Makoto Miyazaki Daily Yomiuri Photographer

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto

History books say Emperor Kanmu's first duty when planning the capital Heiankyo, today's Kyoto, was to seal off "kimon"--the demon's gate.

Kimon indicates a northeast direction, and ancient belief holds that demons travel from that direction.

Mt. Hiei, which is regarded as one of the three holiest mountains in Japan--along with Mt. Koya and Mt. Osorezan--is located northeast of Heiankyo. In 788, the priest Saicho built Enryakuji temple to guard against the demon's gate.

Enryakuji is in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. The name does not refer to a specific building, but to a collection of more than 200 halls, pagodas and other religious facilities dotting three main areas--Todo, Saito and Yokawa.

Mt. Hiei, which can be seen from the precincts of Enryakuji, is also known as the place where many famous Buddhist priests practiced. These include Honen, founder of the Jodo sect; Eisai, founder of the Zen sect; Dogen, founder of the Soto sect; Shinran, founder of the Jodoshin sect; and Nichiren, founder of Nichiren sect.

Mt. Hiei, therefore, can be called the mother of mountains for Japanese Buddhism.

As Mt. Hiei is more than 800 meters tall, snow falls thick, and the ground is frozen in winter. As shuttle buses running to the mountain are not in service in winter, tourists are rarely seen at that time.

A statue of Yakushinyorai, the deity of medicine, said to have been carved by Saicho, is enshrined in Konpon Chudo, the main hall of the Todo area on the mountain. In front of the statue burns a holy fire that is said to have been kept lit for 1,200 years.

In the bitterly cold air and the silence, the small light creates a mysterious atmosphere.

The southwest direction is called "urakimon" and was feared as the second-most ill-omened direction after kimon. On the axis between kimon and urakimon, numerous temples and shrines were built to prevent the infiltration of demons into Heiankyo.

Two of the Shinto shrines--Kamigamo and Shimogamo--though far apart, are regarded by locals as a pair. Locals refer to both as Kamo Shrine, as if they are one.

They are among the oldest shrines in the Kyoto area. Because the Kamogawa river runs from the direction of kimon into the city, the two shrines along the flow prevent demons from using it to enter the city.

The origin of Kamigamo Shrine comes from the enshrinement of a deity of the Kamo clan, which ruled the region. The formal name of the shrine is Kamowakeikazuchi Shrine after the deity's name, Kamowakeikazuchi no Okami. Ikazuchi means thunder, and the deity is believed to ward off evil.

Kamigamo Shrine is older than Shimogamo Shrine. Shimogamo Shrine is formally named Kamomioya Shrine. It enshrines the parents of the deity of Kamigamo Shrine, Tamayorihime no Mikoto, the mother, and Kamotakenotsunumi no Mikoto, the father.

Aoi Matsuri, the annual festival of both Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrines, is also called Kamo no Matsuri (festival of Kamo) and is the oldest among Kyoto's three major festivals. The others are Jidai Matsuri and Gion Matsuri.

The precincts of the two shrines are deep in forests with rivers running through them, conveying to visitors a silent and magnificent atmosphere different from that on Mt. Hiei.

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Enryakuji temple and Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrines comprise the 17 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.