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Kitano Tenmangu 北野天満宮
Kamigyo, Kyoto · Open in Google Maps
Kitano Tenmangū is the head shrine of the Tenjin faith, built in the 10th century to honor Sugawara no Michizane, whose angry spirit was blamed for disasters in the capital after his death in exile.
What to look for
- The plum garden blooms in late winter; plum was Michizane's favorite flower.
- Statues of reclining oxen are all over the grounds. Visitors stroke them, believing it helps with the same part of their own body, or with their studies.
- A flea market, Tenjin-san, is held on the 25th of each month.
- Inside the grounds, a small shrine (Tomouji-sha) honors the ancestors of the Ōtomo clan, the family of Michizane's mother.
Enshrined kami
- Sugawara no Michizane 菅原道真公
What people pray for here
Study, exams and scholarship.
Etiquette
Students write their wishes on ema shaped like oxen or plum blossoms.
New to shrines? Read our short guide to shrine etiquette: purifying your hands, bowing and clapping, offerings, omamori and goshuin.