Kitano Tenman-gū Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Kitano Tenmangū
The honden, or main building.
Religion
Affiliation	Shinto
Deity	Sugawara no Michizane
Festival	Reitaisai (August 4th)
Type	Tenmangū
Location
Location	Hakuraku-chō, Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto
Location in Japan
Architecture
Architectural style	Gongen-zukuri
Date established	947
Glossary of Shinto

Kitano Tenmangū is a famous Shinto shrine located in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It was first built in 947 to honor and calm the spirit of a very smart and important person named Sugawara no Michizane. Michizane was a top government official, a great scholar, and a talented poet. He was sent away from the capital because of tricky political games played by his enemies from the Fujiwara clan.

History of the Shrine
Honoring Tenjin
- Plum Blossom Festival
Images for kids
See also

History of the Shrine

Kitano Tenman-gū shrine

This shrine became very important to the Emperors of Japan during the early Heian period (794-1185). In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that special messengers be sent from the palace to report important events to the kami (gods or spirits) who protected Japan. These messengers, called heihaku, first went to 16 different shrines.

Later, in 991, Emperor Ichijō added three more shrines to this special list, and Kitano Tenmangū was one of them. This showed how much the emperors respected and supported the shrine.

From 1871 to 1946, Kitano Tenmangū was officially recognized as one of the most important Shinto shrines supported by the government. It was ranked as a second-tier shrine. The buildings you see today were mostly built in the early 1600s.

Honoring Tenjin

Prayer tablets at Kitano Tenman-gū

The Kitano Tenmangū shrine was built to honor Sugawara no Michizane. In 986, Michizane was given the special title of a "God" and became known as "Tenjin". He is now seen as the kami (Shinto god) of education and learning.

Because of this, many students visit Kitano Tenmangū to pray for good luck and success in their studies, especially during exam times. The shrine can get very busy with students and school trips.

Plum Blossom Festival

Kitano Tenman-gū

The shrine grounds are filled with Michizane's favorite trees: red and white ume, or plum blossom trees. When these trees bloom, usually in late winter or early spring, the shrine becomes a very popular and crowded place.

The Plum Blossom Festival is held every year on February 25. This date marks the day Michizane passed away. This festival has been celebrated on the same day for about 900 years!

During the festival, there is an outdoor tea ceremony. Here, tea and traditional Japanese sweets called wagashi are served to many guests, sometimes as many as 3,000 people. This outdoor tea ceremony started in 1952 to celebrate the 1,050th anniversary of Michizane's death.