Kamo Mioya Shrine (Shimogamo Shrine)

Kamo Mioya Shrine (賀茂御祖神社), commonly known as Shimogamo Shrine, is located in Shimogamo Izumigawa-chō, Sakyō Ward, Kyoto. It is one of Japan’s oldest and most culturally significant shrines. Together with Kamigamo Shrine (Kamo Wakeikazuchi Shrine), it forms the Kamo Shrines, both dedicated to the guardian deities of the ancient Kamo clan. The two shrines jointly hold the famous Kamo Festival, now known as the Aoi Matsuri, one of the three great festivals of Kyoto.

Shimogamo Shrine is classified as a Shikinai-sha (an ancient shrine listed in the Engishiki register), a Yamashiro Province Ichinomiya, and one of Japan’s Twenty-Two Shrines (Nijūnisha). It was formerly ranked as a Kanpei-taisha (Imperial Shrine of the highest order) and today is designated as a Beppyo Shrine under the Association of Shinto Shrines. As part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto,” it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The enshrined deities are Kamo Taketsunumi no Mikoto and his daughter Tamayorihime no Mikoto. According to legend, Tamayorihime is the mother of Kamo Wakeikazuchi no Ōkami, the main deity of Kamigamo Shrine, hence the name Kamo Mioya Shrine, meaning “Shrine of the Mother of the Kamo Deity.”

The shrine’s grounds are tranquil and elegant, home to the famous Tadasu no Mori, a preserved ancient forest spanning about 120,000 square meters, regarded as Kyoto’s “sacred forest.” Within it flow the Mitarashi River and Mitarashi Pond, both considered holy sites for purification. During the Aoi Matsuri, the Saiō-dai (imperial priestess stand-in) performs a purification ritual here. The pond’s spring water is renowned for its purity and remains drinkable even today.

According to shrine tradition, its origins are extremely ancient — said to date back to the era of Emperor Jinmu, when the deities descended upon Mount Mikage (present site of Mikage Shrine). The earliest recorded mention appears in the Shoku Nihon Kōki around 848 CE (the 15th year of the Jōwa era). Since the Nara and Heian periods, the Kamo Shrines have been held in the highest esteem by the Imperial Court and were designated as national centers of worship. After the capital moved to Heian (Kyoto), Shimogamo Shrine became a guardian shrine of the Imperial City, and in 807 CE (Daidō 2), it was granted the highest divine rank of Shōichii.

From the Heian period onward, imperial princesses were appointed as Saiō (sacred maidens) to serve the shrine, a tradition that continued for about 400 years. Under the modern shrine ranking system of the Meiji era, Shimogamo and Kamigamo were both recognized as the top-ranking Kanpei-taisha shrines.

Interestingly, Tadasu no Mori is also considered the birthplace of rugby in the Kansai region. In 1910, students from the former Third High School (a predecessor of Kyoto University) practiced rugby here, forming the “Third High School Gakusuikai Rugby Club,” which later evolved into the Kyoto University Rugby Club.

The Main Hall and West Hall of the shrine are designated National Treasures of Japan. In ancient times, the shrine underwent a full Shikinen Sengū (periodic rebuilding) every 21 years; today, the structures are regularly restored to preserve the thousand-year-old legacy and sacred atmosphere of this ancient shrine.