Goryo Jinja — Attraction in Osaka

After Kusunaga Shrine, I rambled through Utsubo Park. I found its old center court remodeled into a garden which utilizes its stands as a slope to run a stream. I thought I saw Goryo Shrine, but I didn't know where its main gate was. This time, I entered through its back gate, which was no more than a kitchen door.

Osaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Goryo Shrine Emperors of Japan have celebrated a harvest ritual annually presumably since the 10th to the 3rd Centuries BC. Empress Takara (594-661) is said to have fixed the ritual procedure. Emperor Oama (?-686) performed a special large-scale ceremonial offering of rice as a part of his enthronement ceremony in 673. Since then, newly enthroned Emperors have performed special ceremonial offerings of rice. Emperor Montoku (827-858) first performed the Yasoshima Ceremony one year after his enthronement in 850 at the Tsubura Inlet along today's Osaka Bay. The inlet is supposed to have been located near today's Utsubo Kusunaga Shrine (Address: 2 Chome-1 Utsubohonmachi, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0004). The ceremony site was called Tsubura Shinshi, literally Tsubura God Small-Shrine. As the ceremony was repeatedly performed by newly enthroned Emperors, the site came to be called Tsubura Shrine, and the area came to be called Tsumura. Kamei Korenori (1557-1612) was born in Yatsuka County, Izumo Province, as a son of a vassal of the Amako Clan, which was destroyed by Mori Motonari (1497-1571) in 1566. He met the remnants of the Amako Clan in Kyoto in 1568. In 1573, he actually joined fighting for the remnant. When Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) started attacking the Mori Clan, the remnants became subject to Nobunaga, and Korenori fought for Akechi Mitsuhide (1528-1582), a vassal of Nobunaga, in Tamba Province. For some reason, he was posted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), another vassal of Nobunaga, in 1581. When Korenari was fighting for Hideyoshi in Inaba Province, all of a sudden, Mitsuhide killed Nobunaga in 1582. Mitsuhide, however, was killed by Hideyoshi soon after. Luckily, Korenori survived. In 1594, Korenori invited Tsubura Shrine to part of his residence, which was located in the present place of Goryo Shrine. As he respected Kamakura Kagemasa (1069-?), he enshrined Kagemasa in New Tsubura Shrine as a god. Kagemasa answered Korenori's faith. After Hideyoshi's death, Korenori transferred to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616). He successfully survived the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and the Siege of Osaka in 1614 and 1615. He became the first lord of the Shikano Domain in Inaba Province, which was just east of Izumo Province. He made a glorious return to his hometown. Osaka people were surprised with Korenori's success or Kagemasa's grace, and they commonly called Tsubura Shrine Goro-no-miya Shrine in the Edo Period as Kagemasa's nickname was Gongoro. Hojo-ji Temple was built in the southern part of its precincts as its shrine temple, with an eleven-faced Ekadasamukha statue as its main deity. The shrine officially changed its name to Goryo Shrine in the 1660's. After the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order was issued by the Meiji Restoration Government in 1868, the Goryo Shrine and Hojo-in Temple were divided. The temple was abolished later, and the Ekadasamukha statue was moved to Saisho-ji Temple. The precincts of the temple became a modern building with a shrine gate in front of it as a trace of the syncretism of Shinto...

These are images of Goryo Shrine located just within a block north of Katsura Rikyu. There are several Roryo shrines in Kyoto. This type of shrines are built to appease the spirits of emperors in the past. The place has a spacious ground with Noh stage in the center. The temizusha where you cleanse your hands before prayer was quite impressive structure as well as old devine tree. ( Trans-word+ : TGM...

It is a clean and quiet shrine located just south of the Yodoyabashi station. It's known for the centre bell, and the cherry blossoms during the spring time, giving a peaceful and beautiful environment. I enjoy seeing the garden decorations and floral here. There's a shrine office that sells goshuin stamps, amulets and other items too. I recommend visiting the Goryo...