{Inter} Cultural Japan

The Yasui Konpira Shrine stands in an area full of bars and love hotels just south of Gion. In Japan that is not an unlikely spot for a shrine or temple as the sacred and profane were always mixed and devout pilgrims would after saying their prayers spend the night in the nearby red light district (Gion next to the Gion Shrine - now called Yasaka - , Kamishichiken next to the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine etc.). By the way, one of these love hotels became famous because of a grisly murder and now is believed to be haunted…

[The Engiri Stone plastered over with Ofuda]

There used to be a temple here (Rengeko-in) with as protection a shrine in its grounds that was a branch of the famous Konpira Shrine on Shikoku. After the forced separation of Buddhism and Shinto in the early Meiji-period, only the shrine survived. It is famous for bringing lovers together (enmusubi) but also helping them separate again if so needed (engiri).

There is even a large rock in front of the main hall helping out with those wishes: write your name and that of the other person on a slip of Ofuda paper, crawl through the hole from back to front with the paper in your hand and then paste it on top the others already plastered on the stone. Want to get rid of your partner? Do the same thing, only go through the rock from the front. Nothing could be easier - no wonder this used to be a popular shrine.

By the way, that the shrine follows the problems of our modern times is demonstrated by the fact that it has started selling amulets against stalkers as mobile phone straps…

Ema Hall
The ema or votive plates which originally were housed in an emado, an open structure, are now for safekeeping housed in the Konpira Ema Museum, a traditional building constructed from the timbers of the former emado. Besides these classical ema which are on shown on the first floor, upstairs you will also find humorous modern ones. The often large-sized classical ema interestingly differ in quality: as the elements had free play in the old ema hall which was open to the elements, some are faded, but the ones which hung behind others are still most beautiful.

There are pictures of horses, but also of warriors such as Benkei, or historical scenes; many ema were painted by artists from the Shijo-Maruyama School. A simple but poignant wish is a picture of a baby from a woman who wanted to become pregnant. Among the 500 modern ema you will also find playful ones sporting characters from manga as Atom Boy.

[Konpira Ema Museum]

Glass Gallery
Surprising is the Glass Gallery in the shrine office, which features glass art collected by the former head priest but above all an installation in the floor by contemporary American glass artist Dale Chihuly. It is a sort of marine fantasy, a seabed of colorful glass pieces, a composition of large and small shells, all glowing mysteriously under the glass plate that forms the floor.

Tel: 075-561-5127
Hours: 10:00-16:00; CL Mon (next day if NH), Obon, NY
Access: From Kyoto St. take bus 206 to Higashi-Yasui bus stop and walk 5 min.
Festival: on the fourth Monday in September the annual Comb Festival (Kushi Matsuri) is held, with a parade of women wearing kimono and traditional hairstyles parading through the shrine grounds.