Kitano Tammangu

Drawing from " Illustrated Legends of the Kitano-Tenjin Temple "

The temple was built in 947 to pacify the angry spirit of the politician, scientist and poet Sugawara no Mizizane , who was sent into exile as a result of political intrigues of his opponents from the Fujiwara clan . After the death of Mizizane, the emperor reinstated him in all positions in the state, burned an official order to expel him and decided that the poet should be worshiped under the name Tenjin ^[2] , all temples erected in honor of Tenjin are called Temmangu . Based on the history of the creation of the temple, in the XIII century a series of five manuscript illustrated scrolls was created, “ Illustrated Legends of the Kitano-Tenjin Temple ” ( 北野 天神 縁 起 Kitano Tenjin Engi ) ; they are currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art ^[2] .

At the beginning of the Heian period, the temple was under the tutelage of the Emperor ^[3] . In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered his servants to be sent around the country and reported important events to the spiritual guards ( Kami ) of Japan. These messengers, called heihaku , initially went to 16 temples ^[4] , in 991, Emperor Ichijo added three more temples to them, among which was Kitano-Temmangu ^[5] .

From 1871 to 1946, Kitano-Tammangu was officially considered one of the Campei-chusya ( 官 幣 中 社 ) , that is, it had the second highest rank in the hierarchy of temples supported by the state ^[6] .

The temple is dedicated to Sugawara no Mitizane , who was deified in 986 and was given the name " Tenjin " - the deity of science, poetry and calligraphy in Shintoism ^[2] . Legend has it that due to the intrigues of the Fujiwara clan, Mizizane was exiled to Kyushu. He died in exile in 903, in the capital, shortly afterwards, heavy rains with lots of lightning began. As a result, fires and floods destroyed many possessions of the Fujiwara clan.

On the territory of the temple, many red and white plums are planted - the favorite trees of Mizizane. During their flowering on February 25, the temple hosts the Plum Blossom Festival ( я 祭 祭 baikasai ) , where many people gather. During the festival, a flea market operates in the temple, and an open-air tea ceremony ( 野 点 од nodate ) is held by geisha and maiko from the Kamisichiken area ^{[7] [8]} . The festival is held on the same day for 900 years in memory of the date of death of Mizizane. Tea ceremonies have been held since 1952, the same year a large festival was held to mark the 1050th anniversary of the death of Mizizane.

In total, about 12,000 temples dedicated to the Sugawara no Michizane were built in Japan, but the Kitano-Temmangu temple is the initial and main one. ^[9]

Kitano-Tammangu is a popular place among students praying for exams, since Tenjin was a scientist and writer during his lifetime. On the 25th of each month, the temple hosts a flea market at the same time as a similar festival in the Toji Temple , which became the basis for the proverb popular in Kyoto: “Good weather in the Toji Temple - rain in the Tenjin Market,” which is also a reference to inconstant weather conditions in Kyoto.

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  Women pray

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  Lanterns on the temple buildings

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  Maiko serves tea at the Plum Blossom Festival

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  Temple flea market

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  Tomon

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  Sculpture of a bull

• The official site of Kitano Temmangu Temple