Heian Shrine

Heian Shrine was established in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the transfer of Japan’s capital to Heian-kyo. The celebration was originally planned for 1894, exactly 1100 years after the capital was established in 794, but was postponed due to the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War. After Japan’s victory, the shrine was completed the following year. The shrine buildings recreate the Chodo-in, the main ceremonial hall of the ancient Imperial Palace of Heian-kyo, at approximately five-eighths of the original scale. The Daigokuden Hall measures 32 meters in width, making it the largest worship hall of its kind in Japan. Behind the Daigokuden lies the Shin’en Garden, a strolling pond garden covering about 30,000 square meters, where seasonal flowers bloom throughout the year, including weeping cherry blossoms in late April, irises in May, and Japanese irises in June. The massive torii gate was built in 1929 to commemorate Emperor Showa’s grand enthronement ceremonies held in Kyoto the previous year. Once the largest torii gate in Japan, it now serves as a landmark of Okazaki Park. The Okazaki area is also known as Kyoto’s museum district, with the National Museum of Modern Art and the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, which opened in May 2020, located on either side of the torii gate.