The phallic stones of Asuka Nimasu Shrine

There is a collection of phallic stones at the Asuka Nimasu Shrine that I would guess have been collected from the surrounding area.

A few of them are paired with a "female" stone.

I think there is a good chance that these, or some of them at least, are Dosojin.

Dosojin, sometimes called Sainokami, were phallic stones placed at the roadside at community borders.

Often referred to as protective deities of travellers, their original use seems to be protecting the village from evil/pollution rather than protecting travellers.

Later the dosojin became rocks carved with a male-female couple, and later still Jizo statues took over some of their functions.

In some places Sarutahiko is associated with Dosojin.

Imamiya Shrine, Hamada.

Perched on a narrow spit of high ground sandwiched between the railway line and a main road, the Imamiya Shrine in Hamada looks abandoned.

However, on my last visit there I found a pile of discarded rope and gohei. These shimenawa were strung along either side of the roads in the neighborhood and made the way to the shrine sacred for the annual matsuri.

The head Imamiya shrine is in Kyoto and the enshrined kami are Okuninushi, Ebisu, and Kushinada. Curiously the shrine records here in Hamada say the main enshrined kami is Susano. The little red box on the steps is a vending machine for Omikuji (fortunes).

Inside the main room is a solitary Taiko, a standard feature at most shrines.

Next to the main building is a secondary Inari Shrine.

Imamiya Shrine Kyoto

Imamiya Shrine Kyoto

Imamiya is a large shrine complex that was built at its present site in 1001, though established a few years earlier on top of nearby Funaoka Hill. The shrine was established to ward off one of the plagues that periodicly attacked the area. There are many sub-shrines within the grounds, but the 3 main kami are Okuninushi (sometimes called Onamuchi, sometimes Daikokuten), Kotoshironushi, and Inadahime. What is interesting is that these are all Izumo kami. Okuninushi was the Izumo leader who "gave" Japan to Amaterasu's descendants, Kotoshironushi is the Izumo version of Ebisu. There are three distinct versions of Ebisu, one for central Japan, one for northern japan, and one for western Japan. Usually in the Kyoto area they refer to Ebisu as the child of Izanami and Izanagi and hailing from nearby Awajima. Inada is the Izumo "princess" who married Susano after his defeat of the serpent Yamata no Orochi.

The architectural style of the main shrine buildings and impressive gate are 17th Century, but were reconstructed in the early 20th century.

There had earlier been a ceremony at one of the sub-shrines (Munakata-sha, I think), and the offerings (sake and various foods, sakaki branches) were still on the altar.

The area around Imamiya has a nice old atmosphere, and its not surprising that many "Samurai" dramas are filmed here. Heading south from the shrine I spied this wonderful old wall built using roof tiles.

Kyoto Accommodation