Ujikami Shrine, located in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a venerable shrine registered as one of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” World Heritage sites. Founded in the late Heian period, this shrine with about 1,000 years of history boasts the oldest existing main hall (honden) in Japanese shrine architecture.
The main hall of the Ujikami Shrine, built around 1060 in the late Heian period, is designated as a National Treasure.
It consists of three halls – left, center, and right – enshrining Uji no Wakiiratsuko, Emperor Ojin, and Emperor Nintoku respectively. Inside the main hall, there are door paintings from the Heian period designated as Important Cultural Properties, although they are not open to the public.
The worship hall (haiden) is also designated as a National Treasure and was built in the early Kamakura period. It is a valuable structure that retains the shinden-zukuri style of the Heian period, with its beauty accentuated by the roof construction technique called “sugaru-hafu”.
There is a small shrine of Kasuga Shrine in the precincts of the temple. Although it does not attract much attention, it is also designated as an important cultural property.
Within the shrine grounds, Kirihara-sui, one of the “Seven Famous Waters of Uji,” continues to spring forth. It is one of the water sources used for cultivating the “Seven Famous Tea Gardens of Uji” selected during the Muromachi period, and the only surviving one of the seven.
This shrine continues to captivate many worshippers and tourists as a precious embodiment of Japanese history and culture.
Nearby spots from Ujikami Shrine
After all, Uji Byodoin Temple, another World Heritage Site, is a place not to be missed. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the one and only building that conveys the beauty of the Heian period.
Uji Jinja Shrine forms a pair with Ujikami Shrine, and is revered as the guardian deity of the area.
Koshoji Temple belongs to the Sodo School of Zen Buddhism. This temple is a precious place where one can experience Japanese Zen culture, architecture, garden art, and history all at once.
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