Ema Detail
Wild Boar fountain
There are many unknown sites to visit by bicycle in Kyoto. Noru finds these out of the way places and makes them accessible on our bicycle tours. Kyoto is a small town and it is very easy to get around quickly so that we have plenty of time to get deeper into the sites and enjoy them to their fullest. The Goo shrine is on one of our custom Kyoto bicycle tours and we look forward to bringing you here soon.
Architectural Detail
The History>>
Goo Shrine is a Shinto shrine in central Kyoto next to the Gosho Imperial Gardens. The shrine is dedicated to Wake No Kiyomaro who aided in the construction of ancient Kyoto, as well as Kiyomaro’s older sister Hiromushi.
Wake no Kiyomaro, who is enshrined here, is known for having defeated in 769 the monk Dokyo’s claim to a divine message from Usa Hachiman declaring him to be the next emperor. Along the way, three hundred boars are said to have appeared, surrounding him, and protecting him from any dangers along the way. Furthermore, a grievous leg injury suffered on the road was miraculously healed.
This shrine praises those boars which protected him as spirit boars, and a pair of stone boars stand in place of the more typical lion-dogs. On the first day of the November, the shrine hosts a Boar Festival. Because of the associations with Kiyomaro’s story, many who have leg ailments or injuries, or those seeking safe travels and the avoidance of disaster, come to pray here. Also at New Year’s many people come to the shrine to pray for their ailments.
Detail of Heeling Feet