Yoshino Mikumari Shrine
About This Destination
Most people who come up Mount Yoshino stop at the Zao-do of Kimpusen-ji and turn round. Keep climbing, past Chikurin-in and up through the Kami Senbon cherry slopes, and the road reaches a vermilion gate tower set back from the lane. This is Yoshino Mikumari Shrine, the shrine of the god who shares out water, and the walk to it is the reason it is quiet.
The name comes from mikumari, the dividing of water, and the shrine was first a place to pray for rain: the Shoku Nihongi records a horse offered to the Yoshino water god in 698 for that reason. Over the centuries mikumari slid into mikomori, 'guarding children', and people began calling it Komori-no-miya. Toyotomi Hideyoshi came to pray for an heir. His son Hideyori was born, and in 1604 Hideyori paid to rebuild the shrine, which is what stands now. Motoori Norinaga, the Edo-period scholar, grew up hearing that his father had prayed here for a son, and in his travel diary of 1772 he called himself the shrine's child.
Inside the gate you are in a courtyard with the worship hall on one side and the main hall facing it. The main hall is the part to look at: three shrines joined under one long roof, the middle one in a different style from the two at either end, with carved and painted Momoyama detail along the front. The gate tower, the halls and the two corridors are Important Cultural Properties. The National Treasure here, a seated wooden statue of the goddess Tamayorihime made in 1251, is not shown to the public.
The shrine is one of the Yoshino and Omine sites in the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, inscribed as World Heritage in 2004. In April the weeping cherry in the courtyard draws a crowd; at any other time you may have it to yourself.
Be honest with yourself about the climb. The Yoshinoyama tourism association puts it at about an hour and a half on foot from the ropeway station, almost all uphill. Kimpu Shrine is roughly another 45 minutes above, so many people take the bus to Okusenbon-guchi and walk down past both.
Location
Prefecture: Nara
Address: Yoshino, Nara, Japan
Nearest Station: Chikurin-in-mae bus stop
Best time to visit: The first half to middle of April, when the weeping cherry in the courtyard and the Kami Senbon slopes bloom in a normal year; late October to November for autumn colour, when the Okusenbon bus also runs daily
Visitor Information
Credit Cards: Unknown
Access
Nara, Japan
Get DirectionsFrequently Asked Questions
How long is the walk from the Yoshino Ropeway?
About an hour and a half from Yoshinoyama Station according to the Yoshinoyama tourism association, and nearly all of it is uphill. On days when the Okusenbon bus runs you can ride to Chikurin-in-mae and walk about 25 minutes from there, or ride to the end at Okusenbon-guchi and walk down via Kimpu Shrine.
Can I see the National Treasure statue of Tamayorihime?
No. The seated wooden statue, dated 1251, is not open to the public. What you can see are the 1604 buildings: the gate tower, the worship hall, the corridors and the long main hall with its three shrines under one roof.
Why is it called Komori-no-miya?
The word mikumari, the sharing out of water, came to be heard as mikomori, guarding children, so the water god became a guardian of children and childbirth. Toyotomi Hideyoshi prayed here for an heir, and Motoori Norinaga believed his father's prayers here had brought him into the world.
When does the weeping cherry in the courtyard bloom?
Usually in the first half to middle of April, along with the Kami Senbon slopes around it. The timing shifts from year to year, so check the bloom reports from the Yoshinoyama tourism association, and expect the road up to be busy.
Nearby Destinations
More in Yoshino / Oyodo
⭐ Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to review!
Sign In to Review