Language:Japanese
Kyoto has many shrines and temples that are said to be power spots and are said to have mysterious benefits. Among them, Kawai Shrine in Tadasu-no-Mori is a little unusual, and it is rumored that if you pray there, you will become beautiful.
The grounds of Kawai Shrine
Kawai Shrine is the first sub-shrine of Kamomioya Shrine (commonly known as Shimogamo Shrine), a World Heritage Site, and is located on the west side of Semi no Ogawa in Tadasu-no-Mori.
The enshrined deity is Tamayorihime, the mother of Emperor Jimmu, and the mother of Shimogamo Shrine’s deity, Kamowakeikazuchi no Okami, and is said to be a goddess as beautiful as a jewel.
Tamayorihime’s achievements as a wife are revered as a model for Japanese women, and she is widely known as a god who grants women’s wishes to become even more beautiful, as well as wishes for matchmaking, safe childbirth, and child-rearing.
Perhaps for this reason, a sign is hung at the shrine gate at the entrance to Kawai Shrine that reads, “Protector of Women, Japan’s Greatest Beautiful Goddess.”
Shinmon gate of Kawai Shrine
History of Kawai Shrine
The date when Kawai Shrine was founded is unclear, but it is said to have been around the time of Emperor Jimmu. The Engishiki states that “Kamokawai Izashosha Shrine”
The Engishiki is a set of implementing rules for the Ritsuryo Code compiled in the mid-Heian period. An official document dated December 28, 901, reads, “Kawai Shrine is the descendant of the two gods, Mio-so and Wakeikazuchi,” which shows that the shrine enshrines deities closely related to the deity worshipped at Kamomioya Shrine (Shimogamo Shrine).
In 858, it was ranked as a Myojin Taisha, in 1070 it was ranked Shoni (Second Rank) and in 1185 it was ranked Shoichi (First Rank), and in 1887 it became the first auxiliary shrine of Kamomioya Shrine.
The current shrine building was built during the Shikinen Sengu (periodic rebuilding of the shrine) in 1679, and is a Sangensha Nagare-zukuri (three-bay shrine) with a cypress bark roof.
Pray for beauty by applying makeup on Kagami ema
When you pass through the Shinmon gate, you will see the dance hall in the center, and behind it the main hall dedicated to Tamayorihime. On the east side of that is the place for offering kagami ema (mirror votive plaques).
Main Hall
Kagami Ema Offering Site
The “Kagami Ema” (Mirror Ema), popular among female worshippers, is a little unusual and comes in the shape of a cute hand mirror. This ema has a human face drawn on it, and if you put makeup on it as if it were your own face, write a wish on the back and dedicate it to the shrine, it is said that you will be granted the blessing of becoming more beautiful.
Kagami Ema Source: Kawai Shrine HP
When you dedicate “Kagami ema”, you will receive a rice donation and a bookmark that says “To be a beautiful woman.” In the bookmark, the Japanese poem of Empress Meiji (Empress Shoken), who was devoted to the establishment and management of the Japanese Red Cross Society, is written.
朝ごとにむかふ鏡のくもりなく
あらまほしきは心なりけり昭憲皇太后御製 「鏡」
This song likens the heart to a mirror, and says that beauty comes from polishing the heart. Emperor Meiji and Empress Meiji were also revered as paragons of beautiful female virtue, so this seems like it would bring even more benefits.
Drawing a “Kagami Ema” is very simple; all you have to do is create the ideal expression you want to have.
Kagami Ema Making Room
Immediately to the right after entering the Shinmon gate is a building called the “dressing room” where you can put makeup on the “Kagami Ema.” Once inside, you will find an easy-to-understand illustrated “How to Draw Kagami Ema” as well as colored pencils, so if you follow the instructions, you will be able to dedicate your “Kagami Ema.”
Steps for dedicating Kagami ema
- Receive an ema First offering fee: 1,000 yen (October 2024)
Ema are available with and without faces drawn on them, so choose the one you like and go to the shrine maiden.
- Apply makeup
In the “Making Room” in the shrine grounds, use the cosmetics you use or the colored pencils provided to make up the face you want to have. (It’s more like drawing than makeup.)
- Write a wish on the back
There are no set wishes, but since the enshrined deity is Tamayorihime, wishes such as “I want to become even more beautiful,” “Marriage,” “Safe childbirth,” and “Childcare” might be good.
You write your name on the handle, but it seems that it’s okay not to write it if you don’t want to.
- Offer it to the ema hanging
Offer it to the ema hanging with the wish that you will become beautiful. (If you put your wish into words, it will really come true due to the power of Kotodama.)
