Hirano Shrine

Hirano Jinja is an ancient shrine in Kita Ward, Kyoto, dedicated to four deities brought from Yamato Province at the time of the Heian capital's founding in 794 CE. The principal deity, Imaki no Sume Ōkami, was originally revered as an ancestral deity of Emperor Kanmu's maternal lineage. First referenced in the Shoku Nihongi (782 CE), the shrine was established at its current site concurrent with the capital's transfer to Heiankyō, and served as a guardian shrine for the imperial crown prince. During the Heian period the court's annual Hirano Matsuri received direct imperial patronage, and the shrine was listed among the Nijūnisha — the twenty-two most revered shrines under imperial sponsorship. Emperor Kazan is said to have planted cherry trees here in 985 CE, beginning a tradition of cherry blossom viewing that made "Hirano's night blossoms" (Hirano no Yozakura) famous throughout the Edo period. The four paired honden structures, built in the early Edo period (1626 and 1632) in the distinctive "Hirano-zukuri" style, are designated Important Cultural Properties. Today the shrine draws enormous crowds during cherry blossom season, with over 400 trees of 60 varieties in bloom from late March through April.

Hirano Shrine is located in Kyoto-shi, Kita-ku, Kyoto. The full address is: 1 Hirano Miyamoto-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto.

The enshrined deities are: Imaki no Kami, Kudo no Kami.