Iwashita Sugawara Shrine
The enshrined deity of Iwashita Sugawara Shrine is Sugawara no Michizane, a celebrated scholar and statesman of the Heian period. Today, he is widely revered as the god of learning. However, during his lifetime, Michizane’s growing influence in court sparked the jealousy of Fujiwara no Tokihira, the powerful Minister of the Left. As a result of political scheming, Michizane was falsely accused of treason, stripped of his position, and exiled to Dazaifu in Kyushu. There, he lived under house arrest at Jomyoin Temple. On February 25, 903 (Engi 3), just two years after his exile, he passed away in sorrow at the age of 59. He was buried at Anrakuji Temple.
After his death, those involved in his exile died young, and Kyoto was struck by a series of disasters—epidemics, floods, and famines. Many believed these misfortunes were caused by Michizane’s vengeful spirit. When lightning struck Seiryoden Hall in the Imperial Palace, people began associating him with Karai Tenjin, the local thunder deity of Kyoto’s Kitano area, and came to revere him as a god of thunder. To appease his spirit, the imperial court established Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto. In Dazaifu, a shrine was also built on the site of his grave—Anrakuji Tenmangu—which would later become the present-day Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.
As time passed, fear of his wrath gave way to admiration for his brilliance. By the Muromachi period, Michizane was worshipped not only as the god of scholarship, but also as a patron of waka poetry, renga (linked-verse), and the performing arts. In the Edo period, he became firmly established as the guardian deity of academic success, enshrined in domain schools (hanko) and temple-run classrooms (terakoya). To this day, students across Japan continue to pray to him for success in their studies.
After his exile, it took almost twenty years before the truth was acknowledged. From then on, he was honored by those who had long admired him—as a divine protector of learning and the human spirit.
Iwashita Sugawara Shrine was established in 1249 (Kencho era) through the kanjo (ritual transfer of a deity) from Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto. On February 14, 1835 (Tenpo 5), a fire destroyed the main shrine building and its historical records. It was rebuilt in the autumn of 1843 (Tenpo 14).
Later, in 1907 (Meiji 40), during the Meiji era, the government implemented the Shrine Consolidation Policy. Under Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi’s administration, the decree known as the Goshi-rei mandated that each town or village have only one shrine. As a result, five local shrines were merged into Sugawara Shrine: Tenjin Shrine (Sugawara Shrine) in Koaza, Shinmei Shrine in Omura, Suwa Shrine in Tsukue, Hachiman Shrine in Aneyama, and another Hachiman Shrine in Urushigaido.
From then on, the following annual festivals have been observed:
– Gosha Festival (Five Shrines Festival) on May 25
– Gokoku Hojo Kigan-sai (Prayer Festival for a Bountiful Harvest) on February 25
– Shinkoku Kansha-sai (New Harvest Thanksgiving Festival) on November 25
– Setsubun-sai (Seasonal Festival for Warding Off Evil) in February
*Note: The 25th is significant as it marks the date of Sugawara no Michizane’s death.
Additionally, beginning in July 1893 (Meiji 26), the Iwashita Gion Festival began. The event features mikoshi (portable shrine) processions and yatai (festival floats) paraded through the area to pray for health and safety in the coming year.
On November 5, 1915 (Taisho 4), the shrine was officially designated as a sonsha heihaku shinsen jinja—a village shrine eligible to receive ritual offerings from the government.
In February 1916 (Taisho 5), sacred kagura (Shinto music and dance) performances began to be formally offered at the shrine.
On December 15, 1945 (Showa 20), following Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Shinto Directive brought an end to government-supported ritual offerings.
In 1957 (Showa 32), the thatched roof was replaced with a zinc roof.
In 2012 (Heisei 24), it was renovated with copper roofing, which remains in place to this day.
Ceiling Paintings (Tenjo-ga)
The ceiling of the main sanctuary features a painting of a dragon—a motif commonly found in Shinto shrines. Dragons are mythical creatures, and in Chinese culture, they have long symbolized imperial power.
In Japan, they are revered as suijin (water deities) and divine messengers. These beings are believed to bring life-giving rain to nourish crops and, at times, to unleash natural disasters as a warning to humankind. As guardians of the human world, dragons have been worshiped for their spiritual power.
The image of a dragon ascending to the heavens has come to represent success and prosperity. In this context, the ryujin (dragon god) symbolizes abundant harvests and brings the essential rain that sustains rice cultivation. In East Asian belief, dragons are sacred beings with the spiritual ability to fly through the skies and freely summon rain and lightning—symbols of divine will and noble authority.
The ceiling of the haiden (worship hall) features numerous motifs of Chinese origin—dragons, flowers, birds, rabbits, tigers, pheasants, elephants, immortals, and celestial maidens. Many of these images appear to be inspired by ancient legends and traditions, though their exact origins remain unclear.
The ceiling of the shamusho (shrine office) also displays traditional paintings. These were relocated from the ceiling of the Hachiman Shrine in Urushigaido Village during the five-shrine consolidation and depict a variety of flowers and birds.
All of the ceiling paintings date back to the Meiji era and have remained intact for over 130 years.
Each one reflects a deep reverence for the divine and is believed to convey messages and prayers offered to the gods and Buddhas—symbols of spiritual devotion passed down through generations.
